The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has launched an urgent ‘support our services’ appeal as it expects to lose at least £700,000 of potential income over the next six months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

%image(15591456, type="article-full", alt="The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has issued an appeal asking people to help support their services as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had a “devastating impact” on its ability to fundraise throughout the year. The Inpatient Unit team in uniform, before the outbreak of the pandemic. Picture: ARTHUR RANK HOSPICE CHARITY")

The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has launched an urgent ‘support our services’ appeal as it expects to lose at least £700,000 of potential income over the next six months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The charity, which runs the Alan Hudson Day Centre in Wisbech, has issued the SOS appeal as COVID-19 has had a “devastating impact” on its fundraising ability.

The hospice charity will also lose funds as its charity shops and bistro have had to close due to Government regulations, while training and conference events that would have been held at its education and conference centre have been cancelled.

%image(15591458, type="article-full", alt="The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has issued an appeal asking people to help support their services as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had a “devastating impact” on its ability to fundraise throughout the year. Lorraine Petersen, medical director, with scrubs. Local businesses have rallied around the hospice, donating essential items such as PPE for clinical colleagues and iPads for patients enabling them to communicate with loved ones. Picture: ARTHUR RANK HOSPICE CHARITY")

In response to the coronavirus, the hospice has also had to reduce many of its services – despite demand for them increasing - to protect the safety of its patients.

In just one month (from February to March 2020), the number of referrals to the Hospice at Home night service has increased by 61 per cent.

There has also been a 27.5 per cent increase in the length of time spent on triage calls by the Arthur Rank Community Team.

%image(15591459, type="article-full", alt="The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has issued an appeal asking people to help support their services as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had a “devastating impact” on its ability to fundraise throughout the year. Sharon Allen, chief executive officer of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, said: "Together we will get through this, because we are #TeamArthur." Picture: ARTHUR RANK HOSPICE CHARITY")

Despite the difficult circumstances, in March the inpatient unit still provided care to 27 patients with complex end of life needs, alongside 19 patients in nurse-led beds.

A spokesman for the hospice charity said: “Strict restrictions have had to be introduced for visitors to the inpatient unit and care staff across all services are struggling with the harsh reality of not being able to offer a comforting hug, or a hand to hold, to family members and their loved one.

“The clinical team is working closely with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Commissioning Group (CCG), Addenbrooke’s Hospital and social care networks to ensure the hospice is doing everything it can to support the healthcare needs of the local population.

%image(15591461, type="article-full", alt="The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has issued an appeal asking people to help support their services as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on its ability to fundraise throughout the year. Alongside launching the SOS Support Our Services appeal, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is inviting contributions to their #HospiceHeroes online notice board on Padlet, to help give their front-line teams a boost. Messages and posters are also being printed out and displayed at the hospice so the teams can see them during their shift. Picture: ARTHUR RANK HOSPICE CHARITY")

“The hospice’s voluntary services team have also adapted the ‘caring communities’ scheme into a telephone befriender service for lonely and isolated people across the county (not just end of life care patients).

“Retired staff, GPs and student doctors have volunteered for clinical roles and administrative and fundraising staff have been redeployed to further support clinical teams.

“Local businesses have rallied around the hospice, donating essential items such as PPE for clinical colleagues and iPads for patients enabling them to communicate with loved ones.

%image(15591463, type="article-full", alt="The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has issued an appeal asking people to help support their services as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had a “devastating impact” on its ability to fundraise throughout the year. Alongside launching the ‘SOS Support Our Services’ appeal, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is inviting contributions to their #HospiceHeroes ‘online notice board’ on Padlet, to help give their front-line teams a boost. Messages and posters are also being printed out and displayed at the hospice so the teams can see them during their shift. Picture: ARTHUR RANK HOSPICE CHARITY")

“Thanks to the hospice’s amazing and extended ‘Team Arthur’ family, care continues to be delivered to those who need it from the hospice’s facilities (Shelford Bottom, Cambridge and the Alan Hudson Day Treatment Centre, Wisbech) and within homes throughout Cambridgeshire and the Fens.

“None of what is happening now would be possible without the dedication, commitment and generosity of the local community, who support the hospice to fundraise £3.98 million each year, which together with the contracted funding from the CCG enables it to deliver its full range of services.”

Sharon Allen, chief executive officer of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, said: “Never would we have anticipated something like COVID-19 and how this would affect us all in the way that it has.

“The adverse circumstances in which we find ourselves seem to change hour by hour, whilst the admiration I have for each of my colleagues grows every day, as they constantly adjust, evolve and innovate.

“Whether it is the fundraiser who is being redeployed to work as a healthcare assistant, a ward sister recording a video to appeal for protective gloves and masks, or the facilities team putting new infection control measures in place… they have all been incredible.

“We need to ensure that we can carry on delivering essential care and services now, whilst also ensuring that services remain sustainable into the future.

“We truly hope that the people of Cambridgeshire will answer our SOS.”

To find out more about, or donate to, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity’s ‘SOS!! Support Our Services’ appeal, visit www.arhc.org.uk/sos