Hospice welcomes Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock

We were delighted to welcome the Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock to the charity for a tour of the facilities on Monday, 17 March.

Mr Kinnock, accompanied by Leigh Ingham, the MP for Stafford and the villages, was shown around the hospice by our Chief Executive Richard Soulsby and our Director of Care David Fletcher.

And his visit follows the announcement that we will receive £97,658 as part of the Government’s biggest investment into hospices and end of life care in a generation.

The funding will help modernise our IT systems.

This will make it easier to see patient information quickly in one place.

As well as save our nurses time on admin, allowing them to spend longer on patient care and support.

Mr Kinnock said: “Hospices like Katharine House provide invaluable care and support when people need it most.

“And this funding boost will ensure they can spend less time on admin.

“As well as more time delivering exceptional patient care.”

“This is the largest investment in a generation to help transform hospice facilities across England. From investing in IT systems, upgrading patient rooms to improving gardens and outdoor spaces, this funding will make a real difference to people at the end of their lives.”

Leigh Ingham said: “I’m delighted that the Labour government has allocated this important funding to Katharine House Hospice.

 

“Katharine House do a wonderful job”

“Katharine House do a wonderful job at providing support for people with life-limiting conditions and their loved ones.

“So it was great to hear from nurses at the hospice how this government funding will make a real difference.

“And that means less time filling in forms and more time spent caring for their patients.”

Our CEO, Richard Soulsby said: “The additional Government funding will be welcomed by all hospices and will help to alleviate stretched finances across the sector.

“It is extremely positive for hospices that the government has recognised the enormous contribution hospices play in the delivery of end of life care.

“And I very much hope this is the first step towards creating sustainable funding arrangements for hospices in the longer term.”

“We all realise that the need for palliative and end of life care will rise rapidly in the coming decade.

“It is important that Government and the NHS see hospices as central to helping to meet this additional demand.”