The local hospice charity for Exeter, Mid and East Devon, was facing a severe income deficit as a result of the pandemic.
The hospice, which cares for over 2,500 people every year, receives just 18% of its funding from the NHS and therefore relies upon public fundraising to provide its specialist end-of-life care at no cost to its patients and families. The lasting effects of the pandemic forced Hospiscare to launch an emergency ‘Save our Services’ appeal in November 2021.
In order to prevent the closure of beds on its specialist ward and the reduction of its services in the community, affecting over 2,000 patients, the hospice needed to raise £1 million by the end of March 2022.
The public response was overwhelming and the charity has announced that over £700,000 was raised thanks to the dedication of its supporters. The hospice received grants from a government initiative to support hospice charities and combined, this means that Hospiscare’s ward beds and community services are secure for the year to come.
The charity would like to thank the local community for their invaluable support and enabling the hospice to stay by the side of patients and families when they need it most.
Hospiscare will celebrate its 40th anniversary in July thanks to the dedication of local people and businesses in saving its services for the year to come.
Although the appeal reached its target, the impact of the pandemic has left the charity facing an income deficit for the next three years. As a result, the charity is taking steps to create new income generation activities and boost the fundraising potential of its retail operations.
