Scarborough based Saint Catherine’s has thanked supporters for everything they have done to help during the challenging times in the last 18 months.
As 2021 draws to a close, the hospice is expanding some of its services and restarting others which were paused or delivered differently during the COVID-19 pandemic, such welcoming day patients into the Wellbeing Centre.
Saint Catherine's say the developments have been made possible due to the "continued and overwhelming support of the local community", which has helped the hospice’s voluntary income recover more quickly than expected.
Mike Wilkerson, chief executive, said:
“As we come towards the end of 2021, we are in a much stronger financial position than we thought we would be this time a year ago.
“The pandemic brought with it huge challenges and uncertainty on so many levels, with income being one of the greatest factors we faced. However, thanks to some grant funding from the government and the continued and dedicated action of our supporters, we are on a stronger footing than we expected.
“The community has truly rallied around, with customers returning to our charity shops in their thousands, people raising funds in their own way and also signing up to our events which are thankfully now restarting. Thank you to each and every one of you who has helped us through this difficult time – we couldn’t have done it without you.”
The services provided by Saint Catherine’s, which include end-of-life care in the hospice and at home, bereavement counselling, education, outpatient clinics, clinical nurse specialists and more, are provided free of charge to patients and their loved ones. The services cost around £5 million a year to provide and the hospice needs to raise around £8,000 a day.
Michelle Muir, clinical services director, said:
“The continued public support during the pandemic will have a direct, positive impact on patient care. We have been recruiting new nursing staff and are expanding the capacity of the in-patient unit.
“We will be able to look after more patients in the unit and we are delighted to be able to welcome back patients who can benefit from our Wellbeing Service, which features outpatient clinics, therapy services and input from our Patient and Family Support team.
“We are also starting to provide in-person bereavement counselling services again on site, after having used video calling to continue with this during the pandemic.
“It is an exciting time for Saint Catherine’s and we would like to thank all of our supporters, along with our patients and families for working with us and helping us shape the way we deliver our care. Together we are Saint Catherine’s.”
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