In 2010, St Catherine’s embarked on a major new fundraising appeal to enable us to expand the high quality care that we provide to patients in their own homes and to respond when and where needed, round the clock, 365 days a year.

Demand for hospice is care is growing rapidly, and the majority of people want to be cared for in the comfort and familiarity of home and to die there if possible.  As the only provider of this care in our area, St Catherine’s nurses working 8.30-5.30 Monday to Friday could not meet the end of life care needs of our local population.  The hospice input for patients at home, as good as it is, has to be extensive enough to meet the growing need.  Otherwise, patients would experience unplanned admissions to hospital; distressed family members would get little support at the weekends and evenings; and many people will still die in hospital or at the hospice, when they want to die at home.

The hospice needs to respond round the clock.  So, we are creating a larger community team with more clinical staff to enable the service to operate over a full seven day week and include practical ‘hands-on’ nursing care at home.  This will mean more intensive nursing care and support for families at critical times so that people can cope at home and die there if this is their wish.

This significant development however, requires a one-off additional income of £1.5m in total over the next three years, over and above the hospice’s ongoing annual voluntary income fundraising activities. 

This campaign is targeted at prospective higher-level donors who can contribute in a number of ways, for example making a three-year pledge, making a large one-off gift or committing to a sizeable regular monthly donation. 

A separate Fundraising & Development Board has been set up to drive forward this vitally important campaign.  We also greatly appreciate the support of a number of other individuals and local business connections who are assisting us with this initiative.

For more information please download a copy of our Round the Clock campaign brochure, or contact David Eggleston, St Catherine’s Hospice’s Trusts and Major Donor Development Manager, at davideggleston@stch.org.uk or by calling 01293 447369.

If you are able to help in any way with this campaign, we would be delighted to hear from you.