St. Michael's Launches Nurse Appeal

25 February 2010

St. Michael's Hospice have launched an appeal to fund a nurse

St. Michael’s Hospice in Basingstoke have launched an appeal to raise money to fund a Hospice at Home nurse to extend their Hospice at Home service to be able to provide a response to calls during the hours of midnight and 8 am to patients across North Hampshire. 

The Hospice at Home service was launched in 2009 and like many other charities in the current economic climate St. Michael’s has been struggling with funding to get this service fully up and running.  Therefore the Hospice has launched an appeal to the local community help raise £25,000 which would pay for a Hospice at Home nurse to join the team and enable St. Michael’s to launch the overnight on call service which would operate from Midnight until 8am when no other Palliative care or nursing service is operating.  This out of hours service will provide patients and their carers with a contact number to call should an urgent situation arise during this time.  A Hospice at Home nurse can then provide advice over the telephone or go out and visit the patient as appropriate.  This means that the likelihood of an unwanted or unnecessary admission to Hospital or the Hospice can be avoided and patients can remain at home throughout their illness.

“We have had a fantastic response so far and the local community have already generously given over £7,000 towards this appeal.  Hospice at Home is such a vital service for patients living at home with a life-limiting illness and it would just be fantastic to be able to extend this service to provide patients with access to an on call service through the night for when help is needed.  We would like to thank everyone who has generously given to this appeal so far and would encourage others to give regardless of how small or large their donation as every penny really does make a huge difference to patients lives” said Lucinda Stubbs, Marketing Manager at St. Michael's Hospice.

If anyone is interested in donating money towards this appeal all they need to do is complete the Online Donation form.  Please add in the notes box that it is for the Hospice at Home Appeal.  Thank you!