Thanks to a significant donation from Barclays, St Margaret’s Hospice Care is able to continue providing its 24 hour adviceline, which has been such a crucial lifeline for so many families in our community this year. The funding will be used over the next six months, to help fund a specially trained team of nurses and first responders operate the adviceline at weekends and evenings, when the hospice is experiencing an increase in calls from patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
As part of a competitive process, St Margaret’s was chosen by a selection committee at Barclays because of the invaluable work they are doing across Somerset, providing care and support for patients and their families facing a life limiting illness.
The £100,000 funding will enable the hospice to continue to care for patients, families, and carers at home as they continue to face the effects of the virus and the restrictions on our everyday lives. Regarded as a ‘lifeline’ by many, the adviceline is helping to reduce isolation, fear, and anxiety that many people have experienced since the beginning of the pandemic.
Back in April, Barclays announced a £100m Community Aid Package to support charities that are helping people and communities most impacted by COVID-19. £10m of this funding has been donated through their 100x100 UK COVID-19 Community Relief Programme, with St Margaret’s Hospice Care being one of 100 UK charities each receiving a donation of £100k, allowing their important work to continue.
Joy Milliken, Clinical Director at St Margaret’s explains why this funding is so important.
Every call on the advice line is answered by one of our specialist team, they provide reassurance, advice and care over the telephone to everyone who needs it. It is our frontline response every day of any year, but it has never been more important than now.
This is why the Barclays funding means so much, no matter what is around the corner in the next few months we are able to provide this ‘lifeline’ to our patients and their families. We may still have a long road ahead while we deal with the consequences of this virus, but because of Barclays, we know we’ll be with our patients every step of the way.
Graham Austin, Barclays Head of SME, South West, said:
This crisis has had an unprecedented impact across the UK and we know this is an incredibly challenging time for many in Somerset. By reaching those most in need of support, local charities, such as St Margaret’s Hospice Care have played a vital role in this crisis to date, and no doubt they will do going forward. As a proud member of our community, we are doing everything we can for our customers, clients and colleagues, and we hope that our partnership with St Margaret’s Hospice Care will allow many others to access the help they need as this crisis develops.
For further information on our adviceline click here.