Leading developer Barratt Homes has made a £1,000 donation to a Staffordshire hospice to support its services for patients living with a terminal illness and their families.
St Giles Hospice, in Lichfield, received the grand gesture as part of the housebuilder’s Community Fund scheme and the funding will go towards providing care for the most vulnerable members of the community.
Despite the pandemic having a major impact on the charity’s ability to raise vital funds, the hospice has continued to provide much-needed care for its patients, which has eased the burden on the NHS at a time when there was an increase in the number of people needing palliative care.
Samantha Storey, Regional Fundraising Manager at St Giles Hospice, said: “St Giles offers a vital service for local patients and their families at a time in their lives when they need our care and support the most. We are dedicated to providing excellent palliative care and to enabling our communities to support each other in living the best life they can to the very end.
“The care we provide is highly personalised, tailored to the needs of each individual patient, and is truly valued by our local community.
“We would like to thank Barratt Homes for its generous donation which will help us to ensure that we are here to support local people and their families when they need us the most.”
The dedicated care teams at the charity work 24/7 in its hospices and in the community, but St Giles needs to raise £850,000 every single month just to keep its services going.
Being there to support those in need in the West Midlands, St Giles Hospice was awarded the highest possible rating of ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission in January 2020.
Samantha continued: “80% of our care is delivered to patients in their own home by our community nursing team. To support those who wish to live at home during the final stages of their illness, we also operate a dedicated Hospice at Home service for patients and their families.
“In our communities, we have set up Bereavement Help Points to help support people who are grieving, irrespective of how long ago they were bereaved and the circumstances of the death.”
As part of the hospice’s bereavement services, the charity operates a range of flexible interventions including one-to-one, family group and peer group support; along with other support groups offering activities such as boxing, crafts and outdoor discovery.
Adrian Evans, Managing Director at Barratt Homes West Midlands, said: “St Giles Hospice is such an integral part of the local community and its care teams work tirelessly to provide the very best care for its patients and their families.
“Our Community Fund scheme allows us to help charities such as this in the areas in and around our developments and it’s a privilege to be able to offer our support.”
