A hospice in Harrow has received a donation from a regional housebuilder to help it fund nursing care at its 12-bed inpatient unit, including patients with COVID-19.
St Luke’s Hospice (Harrow and Brent) received £1,000 from Persimmon Homes North London thanks to its Community Champions scheme, which has run since 2015.
The scheme is supporting groups that help the over-70s for the foreseeable future, with two donations of up to £1,000 available every month in the region. The housebuilder also donated £1,000 to Thames Hospice in Windsor.
Persimmon Homes North London has a development at Harrow View West in the town, and believes it is important to support areas where they build. St Luke’s Hospice (Harrow and Brent) provides specialist palliative end-of-life care and supports a community of more than 450,000 people.
Amanda Ziegler, spokeswoman for the Hospice, said: “All our services are provided totally free of charge and we are dependent on voluntary contributions for more than 60 per cent of our funding.
“The pandemic crisis has severely affected our income due to the closure of our charity shops during the lockdown and cancellation of fundraising events. In response to a continuing need during the COVID-19 crisis, St Luke’s has increased and adapted its core activities to support greater numbers of vulnerable and high-risk patients suffering from cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.”
Amanda added: “We are very grateful to Persimmon Homes North London for its support. The donation is being used to fund nurses shifts within our In-Patient Unit.”
The services provided by the Hospice include caring for more vulnerable end-of-life patients in the 12-bed In-Patient Unit, which can include COVID-19 patients. The Hospice has also increased the capacity of its home care teams who are now caring for all end-of-life patients discharged from hospital with COVID-19. In addition to this, St Luke’s provides end-of-life training to local GPs and healthcare professionals as well as bereavement support for the local community.
Rachel Faulkner, sales director for Persimmon Homes North London, said: “It is clear that St Luke’s Hospice provides invaluable support to patients and families in the Harrow and Brent area and we are delighted to be able to support them in this way.”
To find out more information Community Champions, or to nominate a charity or organisation that supports the over-70s, visit https://www.persimmonhomes.com/community-champions.
