The boss of Saint Francis Hospice says the £300,000 capital funding is welcome but that more long-term funding is still needed for the sector
A hospice charity serving Barking and Dagenham borough will benefit from a grant of more than £300,000 to help pay for a ward refurbishment.
Saint Francis Hospice confirmed it would receive £306,328 in government capital funding as part of the national £125million investment made available to hospices across England.
The funding will support the refurbishment of the hospice’s ward, helping create a more comfortable and calming space for people receiving care and their loved ones.
The hospice is based in Havering but also serves Barking and Dagenham borough, particularly with its home care service.
Grazina Berry, chief executive officer at Saint Francis Hospice, said: “We are very grateful for the additional £300,000 funding which will enable us to provide a homely care environment to individuals receiving care on the ward with even more comfort.”
While welcoming the grant, Saint Francis is also calling “more reliable, long-term funding” for the hospice sector.
Grazina continued: “Although this capital funding is extremely helpful, it can only be spent on improving our physical environment or our technology. It can’t contribute towards paying the running costs that enable our clinical teams to deliver day-to-day care such as our nurses or running our community and hospice at home services.”
Saint Francis Hospice delivers 85% of its care in the community, enabling people to remain in the comfort of their homes, therefore supporting the NHS by reducing hospital admissions.
“The funding we receive from the government remains at around 30%, which means we still rely heavily on charitable income,” Grazina said.
“And we are providing what many would expect to be a core NHS service. Without voluntary donations, Saint Francis Hospice, like all hospices across the country, would not be able to deliver the extensive range of expert care and support services people desperately need and deserve.”
While emphasising the charity was on currently on a “stable” financial footing, Grazina added: “We need a fairer and more dependable funding model that recognises hospices as a vital part of the healthcare system – because that is exactly what we are. Each year raising the funds we need to stay open gets harder and harder.
“We will continue working with partners across Essex, London, our local MPs and Hospice UK to advocate for this change.”
Welcoming the capital grant for Saint Francis, Dagenham and Rainham MP Margaret Mullane said: “Saint Francis Hospice delivers crucial care and support in Dagenham and Rainham and the wider area for people with life-limiting conditions and their loved ones.
“I’m proud that this Labour government is supporting palliative and end of life care and this announcement will make such a difference to Saint Francis Hospice in providing such invaluable support in our community.”
Mullane’s statement added that the government would be publishing a “palliative and end of life care modern service framework” this year, which will “improve access, quality and sustainability” in the sector.
She said this would “address the crucial challenges the sector has warned about, including avoidable hospital admissions, variation in local and regional provision of care in terms of both access and quality, workforce shortages and gaps in 24/7 palliative care provision”.
