£300K funding boost for county hospice charity
A £300K funding boost has been given to LOROS, the Leicestershire and Rutland hospice which supports adults with terminal illnesses and their families.
The money is part of a £25M national package from the government which it says is the biggest investment in hospices in a generation.
A total of £676,971 was handed to hospices in the East Midlands with LOROS getting nearly half of it.
LOROS, based at Groby Road in Leicester, merged two years ago with Dove Cottage Day Hospice at Stathern.
Others which will benefit locally are Nottinghamshire Hospice (£72,123); St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice (£236,601); and Treetops Hospice Care, Derbyshire (£65,496).
The new investments in hospices are aimed at making sure people receive compassionate care in comfortable, dignified surroundings during their most vulnerable moments by creating outdoor gardens where memories can be shared and upgrading patient rooms, so they feel more like home. Every change is focused on supporting families when they need it most.
The improvements will help ensure that during life’s most challenging moments, patients and their loved ones receive the highest quality care in the most appropriate and comfortable settings.
The cash will be distributed immediately for the 2024/25 financial year, with a further £75M to follow from April.
More than 170 hospices across the country will receive funding, including those run by Marie Curie and Sue Ryder, as well as independent hospices.
Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock, commented: “This is the largest investment in a generation to help transform hospice facilities across England.
"From upgrading patient rooms to improving gardens and outdoor spaces, this funding will make a real difference to people at the end of their lives.
“Hospices provide invaluable care and support when people need it most and this funding boost will ensure they are able to continue delivering exceptional care in better, modernised facilities.”
The immediate cash injection will enable hospices to purchase essential new medical equipment, undertake building refurbishments, improve technology, upgrade facilities for patients and families and implement energy efficiency measures.
Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, added: “Several years of rapidly rising costs have curtailed the extent to which hospices have been able to invest in their infrastructure for the longer term.
"This additional support will enable them to do so - and relieve the immediate pressures on hospice finances."