Press release from Katharine House Hospice - 12 December 2019

 

Banbury’s local hospice, Katharine House, has warned that local end-of-life care services are at risk amid increased need for its services and a broken national funding model.

Figures from national end-of-life care charity Hospice UK suggest that eight in ten hospices are running at a deficit this year. Katharine House is one of those, and is facing a budgeted shortfall of £435,000 as government funding continues to fall as a percentage of the hospice’s costs.

Katharine House has launched an appeal to the local community to help close the funding gap, and whilst more than £45,000 has already been raised, there’s an urgent need for more funding with at least £400,000 still urgently needed. The charity’s Chief Executive, Angharad Orchard, warns that the deficit puts services at risk for more than 800 local families living with cancer, motor neurone disease, heart failure and around 20 other life-limiting illnesses:

“The community has really got behind us and we are extremely grateful to everyone who has already supported us since we announced our funding shortfall. However, there is a long way to go and we urgently need more support.

If we cannot close the gap we will have to make some very difficult decisions in the new year about the services we can offer. This will have a serious impact on the lives of local families, now and well into the future, and it’s likely that fewer people will be able to receive the support they so desperately need. For the patients who rely on specialist support to be there when it is needed, this would be unthinkable.

We are a local independent charity funded by the community, for the community, but without your continuing long-term support, people will not get the specialist help they need to ensure they and their families can make every moment matter in the time they have left together.

Please could you make an urgent donation today to help your friends, neighbours and loved ones receive the care when they need it? You can donate online at www.khh.org.uk/donate or drop a donation in to one of our shops.”

Every year Katharine House supports more than 800 families facing a life-limiting illness, providing specialist support for cancer patients, as well as those with motor neurone disease, heart failure and around 20 other illnesses. The hospice also supports families with bereavement support after the death of a loved one.

Only a quarter of the £4.8 million the hospice needs every year comes from the government, with the rest made up of donations from the local community and businesses, and trust grants.

 

How you can help ensure Katharine House’s future:

• Spread the word to friends, family and colleagues, or on social media, that your local hospice urgently needs the ongoing support of our community.
• Be a regular giver - join our weekly lottery be in with a chance of winning £1,000 every week.
• Kindly donate to our appeal using the form below.