Today’s speakers were Joanne, a clinical director, and Julia, a fundraiser, who came along to talk about the activities of Kirkwood Hospice.
Joanne first talked about the clinical side of the hospice, where 1623 people, an increase of 10% were assisted during the difficult pandemic period. These included people occupying and being treated in the 16 bedded, end of life, facilities, but also 1231 who were able to receive care in their own homes.
The hospice prides itself in having experienced no covid cases, due to strict visiting conditions, and regretfully, these conditions must still be adhered to. They do however offer a nurse-led 24-hour advice line, such virtual assistance having been very successfully implemented over the pandemic period. The team, led by Joanne, have had to embrace technology to help more patients, , and support and therapy development has been outreached into G.P. surgeries rather than held at the main hospice in Dalton.
Julia then went on to describe her fundraising role, where she has a team of 13, but these are dwarfed by the numbers of volunteers. They are based in St. Thomas’s Road, in the old Brooke Motors Building, as well as in Dalton, but in today’s conditions a number also work from home.
A cash requirement of £7m per annum is required to maintain the service, with the hospice having to raise approximately £3.4 themselves. Funds are raised from various sources such as corporate sponsorship, community fundraising, schools’ campaigns, and lottery activities, but, as on the clinical side, modern technology has been embraced, and is now seen as the norm. Wherever possible, regular income, in the form of direct debits, is sought, to maintain a regular cash stream.
They both stressed that, far from what we would expect, the hospice activities are viewed by both patients and families as cheerful, happy, and welcoming, which must be seen as a great credit to the staff and clinicians.