Glasgow hospice funding plea as it reveals £755k shortfall
The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Bellahouston Park is hoping 'the local community' will support its Vital Care Appeal.
Chief Executive Rhona Baillie said: 'We provide free specialist palliative and end-of-life care to 1200 new patients and their families each year, both at the hospice at Bellahouston Park and in patients' own homes.
'We're doing everything we can to keep our costs to a minimum. We run our services efficiently, we're innovating with our fundraising, and we make every pound count.
'But despite our efforts, a significant funding gap remains.'
(Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)
The hospice is predicting a £755,000 shortfall in funding, citing the rise in demand for its services, patients' more complex needs and rising costs as the main pressures.
Ms Baillie said that 'with local government funding just 30 per cent of running the hospice, the remaining 70 per cent comes from fundraising and donations' and added: 'We're not in crisis yet, but we need to act and that's why we are turning to our friends in the community for help.'
Kirsty with her dad, Robert (Image: PPWH)
Kirsty Dolan, 22, is supporting the appeal following the death of her dad, Robert, in the hospice in 2021.
Robert was diagnosed with Parkinson's when he was 48 and Kirsty, who was only 10 at the time, along with her mum and older sister, became carers for him.
In 2021, he visited the hospital for inpatient care.
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'He had developed supranuclear palsy and needed specialist care,' said Kirsty. 'He was in the IPU for about a week where he just received the very best care you could imagine.
'We got to spend as much time with him as we could, and we even got to bring our dogs in for a visit. When he was nearing the end of his life, we all stayed over at the hospice in the family rooms so we could be close.'
Kirsty also received support from the hospice's Family Support Service.
'I was really struggling,' she said. 'I was at breaking point. I emailed the hospice and the Family Support Service got in touch – and I have to say, it changed my life.
"The team worked with me over a period of time and just helped me see things differently.
' It really was a lifeline, and I needed that support so much.'
Glasgow Times readers helped raise the £21m needed for the new hospice, which opened in 2018, through our Brick by Brick Appeal.
For more information on the Vital Care Appeal visit ppwh.org.uk/vital-care-appeal or call 0141 726 2660.
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