St. Joseph’s Hospice in Thornton has welcomed Sefton Central MP, Bill Esterson, in a special visit to see first-hand how recent Government funding has been spent.
Over the summer, the Department of Health and Social Care announced a £100m package of capital funding for hospices in England, of which £200k was allocated to St. Joseph’s Hospice.
The hospice’s chair of trustees, David Bricknell; operations director, Beverley Cannon; clinical director, Clare Waller; and chief executive, Mike Parr, welcomed Bill Esterson MP and gave him a tour of the hospice.
The grant funding was for capital spending only and the hospice, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has used it to upgrade the 100-year-old building, improve the facilities for patients and families, and put energy efficiency measures in place so it can become more sustainable in the future.
Recent upgrade work includes significant repairs to the roof of San José - the original hospice building, improvements to patient bathrooms to create a more relaxing and therapeutic environment, the installation of LED lighting to reduce energy bills, and the creation of an all-year-round outdoor space for patients and families with new garden pods and accessible footpaths.
Sustainability was a key part of the conversation between the hospice’s management team and Bill Esterson with the urgent need for a sustainable revenue funding model for hospices, and the difficulties hospices face in covering costs at the top of the agenda.
Hospice UK’s Fair Funding for Hospice’s campaign sets out the business case for a sustainable funding model for all hospices, given the considerable funding challenges faced by hospices, such as the impact of employers NI contributions, the need to match NHS pay rises, as well as important increases in the National Living Wage.
Mike Parr, chief executive of St. Joseph’s Hospice, said: “We were delighted to welcome Bill Esterson to the hospice to show him all the improvement we have made in recent months, and the positive impact of the Government’s recent capital grant.
“We are very fortunate to have such a beautiful building, set with 12 acres of natural woodland, but we are also one of the oldest hospices in the country and our buildings need maintaining and updating so that we can continue to provide high quality, person-centred end of life care for our community.
“We have lots of plans for the future and sustainability is always at the forefront of our minds when creating these plans and aspirations because, first and foremost, we need to make sure that we are still here to care for future generations of our community.”
Bill Esterson, MP for Central Sefton, said: “It was a real pleasure to visit St Joseph’s Hospice and see how the £200,000 in government funding is already making a difference. This capital investment has allowed them to replace the original 100-year-old roof and install energy-efficient LED lighting that will save thousands each year.
“Therapeutic bathrooms, upgraded pathways, and new garden pods will improve the wellbeing of patients and families, while the new nurses’ station and staff room are giving staff the space and support they need. This is a much-loved and vital facility, and I’ll continue working to ensure it has the backing it needs to thrive.”
Pictured L-R: David Bricknell, chair of trustees; Beverley Cannon, operations director; Bill Esterson MP for Central Sefton; Clare Waller, clinical director; and chief executive, Mike Parr, at St. Joseph’s Hospice.