W Bro John Little SLGR reports
A grant from the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) has enabled the St John’s Hospice, which covers parts of Central and North West London, to navigate through an uncertain period since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Hospice has seen admissions increase by up to 20% in the Inpatient Unit.
At the same time, the Hospice@Home team has seen a rise in demand for their services, as more and more patients became isolated due to new government guidelines introduced to restrict the spread of the virus.
With the donation of £1990, the medical team was able to support patients in their own homes, to relieve the strains put on their mental well-being by the lockdown, and to ensure that vulnerable members of society are kept safe.
In addition, the assistance provided by the MCF and London Freemasons has helped the Hospice to move its Day Care Centre operations online. This way, it is able to offer the same level of help to its patients by providing remote services such as complementary therapy programmes, either virtually or by telephone. The unit has also continued to give emotional and practical support to patients by running a reading group and an exercise class online.
St John’s Hospice provides high-quality palliative care that is free of charge to 4,000 patients with terminal illnesses every year, as well as supporting their families and friends. The free care provided by the Hospice extends across eight London boroughs in and around Central and North West London.
The Hospice provides care and services that value human dignity and that seek to cater to the needs of each individual. While discarding the idea that one size fits all, their services look after the physical, spiritual, psychosocial and emotional needs of each of their patients.
St John’s Hospice critically relies on voluntary donations, grants and legacies to continue providing free care to patients living with terminal illnesses. The cancellation of fundraising events during the Coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on the Hospice which now needs to account for the £1.3 million income deficit created as a result of the health crisis.
The MCF has had a long-standing relationship with the Hospice, supporting its work since 2002.
Day Care Centre Manager Quote: “As an organisation, we are incredibly grateful for the generous and kind donations such as that from the Masonic Charitable Foundation, that have benefitted our vulnerable patients during this unsettling time. It has made a huge difference in enabling us to provide person-centred bespoke support to meet the individual needs of each patient.”
Patient Quote: “St John’s Hospice has helped me survive - not just shielding from COVID, but my four years of horrendous cancer and chemotherapy. I don’t think I could have done it without them.”
This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 44 April 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons - Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.
Read more articles in the Arena Issue 44.