When and where was your charity founded?
Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland was founded in 1997, following a successful 2-year pilot scheme. The service initially started in the Eden Valley but has now expanded to cover 1,500 square miles of North and East Cumbria, from Allonby to Alston and the Scottish Borders down to Stainmore.
What service do you provide?
Hospice at Home provides high quality, palliative care and support to patients, family members and carers affected by life limiting illness.
Our core and largest service is our Nursing Team which consists of Registered Nurses and Healthcare Assistants who are skilled in providing nursing care and support in the last year of life and at end of life.
We also have other clinical services which may be required in addition to our nursing service. These are: Lymphoedema Support, Occupational Therapy, Complementary Therapy, Family Support, and a Befriending Service.
Services provided are free of charge to those who need them.
For more information please visit our website www.hospiceathome.co.uk
How has David Allen helped/advised or contributed to the charity?
Hospice at Home were fortunate to be David Allen’s Charity Partner in 2016 and have since established a great working relationship with the firm. Members of staff have taken part in sponsored events such as the C2C Cycle Challenge and David Allen have sponsored adverts in our Diaries and Information Booklets. Staff have also volunteered at events. The funds and time given by the David Allen team will enable the Charity to provide vital care and support and we greatly appreciate the generosity shown.
How has the charity evolved over years- have there been any notable milestones?
The Charity has grown greatly over the past 23 years. For our Clinical Team, the geographical area we cover and in the number of services we are able to provide have both grown as demand increased.
The Charity opened its first Shop in Penrith in 2005 and the retail arm of the organisation now has a further 3 shops in Carlisle, Wigton and Keswick – the latter is run in conjunction with Hospice at Home West Cumbria.
The Charity now needs to raise £20,000 a week to ensure the service is available when needed. In recent years, over 700 patients have been cared for each year – a staggering increase from the 12 patients who were helped in 1997.
However, even with all these developments, the ethos of the charity remains the same today as it did in 1997. This is: to give patients a choice to receive care in their own home. To facilitate a peaceful and dignified death for each individual and to provide personalised care free of any charge to the patient or their families.
Can you identify a key factor in the success of the charity?
There are many factors that combine to together to ensure the successful running of the Charity. Dedicated and committed volunteers and staff, excellent quality of care and generous community support from individuals, businesses and organisations stand out as key factors.
Do you have plans for future growth and development?
Yes! It is the Charity’s aim to ensure that more patients access our services and are aware of the variety of services available. Patients can access one or multiple services throughout their period of care.
With this comes the additional need to fundraise, which would also require more volunteers to join the team. We are always keen to welcome new volunteers to our Shops, Events, Office and Clinical Teams and all opportunities are listed on our website.
Cath Coates, Fundraiser for Hospice at Home 09.06.2020
fundraising@hospiceathome.co.uk