NEWPORT-BASED St David's Hospice Care's chief executive Emma Saysell has issued a heartfelt plea to supporters to help the pandemic-battered hospice get back on its feet after the most challenging year in its four decade existence.

Mrs Saysell says the hospice, which cares for people throughout South East Wales, needs the community to continue donating funds to help it to carry on caring.

Launching the Help Us Get Back On Our Feet campaign, which is being backed by the South Wales Argus, Mrs Saysell said: "We're urging people to continue to support the hospice by donating money to help us to carry on providing care free throughout our community.

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Emma Saysell

"The hospice has suffered significant financial loss over the past year due to our charity shops having to close and our fund raising events being cancelled due to pandemic restrictions.

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"Despite all this we have seen demand for our services soar throughout the pandemic.

"We have had truly marvellous support throughout the past 12 months from the community and also Welsh Government, for which we are extremely thankful. We now just need that extra bit of support, a push, to help us to get back on our feet so that we can continue to provide essential hospice care for all the people in our local communities."

Mrs Saysell outlined the crucial work the hospice had continued to provide throughout the pandemic.

St David's Hospice Care has:

  • Continued to provide nurses to visit patients in their own homes. Nurses have often stayed overnight and had to carry out their normal duties in abnormal conditions, wearing full PPE kit.
  • Kept the 15-bed in-patient hospice at Malpas open with the St David's Hospice Care nursing team working 24-hours a day, seven days a week with many working additional shifts.
  • Employed social workers and welfare rights staff to continue to assist patients and their families with psychological and financial support.
  • Kept the bereavement team on hand to provide support to those who have lost loved ones with many having lost a loved one due to the virus.
  • Adapted the day hospice care to provide a vital service to support hospice patients and have also developed a befriending service for patients who have been socially isolated.

Mrs Saysell, speaking directly to hospice supporters and service users, said: "We can provide these free services because of the support that we receive from people in our community. If you are able we would very much appreciate a donation to help us to continue the work that we do and to help us to get back onto our feet.

"You have been with us in the past please now stay with us for our future. St David's Hospice Care is funded by the community for you, your family and your loved ones.

"Thank you for supporting us over the years especially during the pandemic which has been a challenging time for us all. We may have cared for one of your family members or a close friend or we may come into contact with you in the future. If you feel able to donate you will help to ensure patients receive the care that that they deserve.

"It's down to the communities of Gwent and south Powys that we've been able to sustain our financial income over recent months. People have been so incredibly generous and we thank them all from the bottom of our hearts for all the support they've given over recent months. We are now calling on them all now at this most challenging time in our 40-plus year history to redouble their efforts to support the hospice."

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South Wales Argus editor Gavin Thompson, said: "St David's Hospice Care provides an invaluable service to the entire community which we are happy to support especially at this very difficult and trying time in their long and distinguished history extending over more than four decades."

The Newport-based palliative and end of life care hospice normally cares for some 1,200 patients on a daily basis. This number rocketed during the pandemic as Covid-19 increased its lethal grip on the community.

The hospice needs £8.5 million a year to run its range of services including its inpatient hospice and day hospices. It has to fund 70 per cent of its clinical services through its events, which were all cancelled this year due to the pandemic and its shops, closed in lock down and in the firebreak, set up a just giving page in a bid to help bridge its yawning funding gap.

If you can help please visit www.stdavidshospicecare.org or call the hospice on 01633 851051.