The costs are rising, and our operating expenses for the Hospice are increasing, while we only receive 16% of funding from the government. Due to these factors that are beyond our control, we anticipate that our costs will exceed our budget by £600,000 this year. This unprecedented situation necessitates budget cuts and critical spending only on patient care to ensure we can continue to provide high-quality, vital care for our patients and the community.
Amid these challenges, our old fridge in the Hospice kitchen needed to be replaced. It was unable to maintain the necessary temperature to keep food safe. Our chef had to resort to unconventional measures, such as trying to keep the kitchen cooler, to ensure food safety. Purchasing a new fridge is an example of an essential yet unforeseen expense that we simply could not cover from our budget. Therefore, we reached out to several trusts and foundations to seek support to purchase this crucial piece of equipment to maintain the high standards of our Hospice kitchen.
We are grateful to The Morrisons Foundation, which provided us with a grant to not only purchase an ‘A’ rated fridge for our Hospice kitchen but also a pantry fridge for our Inpatient Unit, ensuring that food remains fresh and cool for patients and their families. At our Hospice, we care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses or recovering from complex symptoms, who require nutritious food. These kitchen appliances are essential to sustain our ability to provide fresh, nutritious, and high-quality food to our patients and their families.
“We are so grateful to Morrisons Foundation for their generous grant allowing us to replace ageing kitchen appliances. Our hospice kitchen offers a high-quality range of food to the patients, their families, visitors and staff members at the hospice and it is regularly complimented. With a budgeted deficit this year of over £600,000 we cannot afford capital items and rely on donations and grants from generous supporters such as yourself to keep on supporting patients and their families at the most difficult time.” – Georgina Grace, Finance Director
The grant support received from the Morrisons Foundation is not just appreciated—it is vital to our continued operation. Their contribution has helped us to future-proof our kitchen appliances into the next decade while reducing energy costs and preventing food spoilage. Without such generosity, we would struggle to meet the essential needs of our Hospice, particularly as government funding covers only a fraction of our expenses. Charitable trusts and the foundation’s support allow us to continue offering comprehensive care to our patients, ensuring their comfort and wellbeing during some of the most challenging moments of their lives. We are grateful to The Morrisons Foundation for their generosity and funding for these new appliances.
“We have a long-term aim to future proof the Hospice kitchen and reduce energy consumption, and thereby reduce costs. One of the main causes for concern was the fridge, it was just a matter of time until it was no longer useable, and due to the manufacturing the old appliance, we were not able to replace parts – once one thing broke it would need replacing altogether. Thanks to the generous grant, I was able to source an A rated appliance that is more efficient due to the appliance installation and able to replace individual part to ensure it can be maintained in the future for less. It may seem like a simple change, but as a hospice, this food can be the last thing in a patient’s life they have control over, the last bit of enjoyment and choice – so it needs to be the best quality, it’s important.” – Scott Fisher-Collins, Chef Manager
