St Giles Hospice joins calls for a new funding model

With a financial crisis looming over the hospice sector, St Giles Hospice is supporting calls for a new model to fund end of life and palliative care.

In a recent survey by Hospice UK, it was uncovered that the hospice sector is facing an estimated deficit of £77 million in the 2023-24 financial year – primarily fuelled by rapidly rising costs.

Data suggests that adult hospices have to raise around two-thirds of their income from charitable funding.

For St Giles Hospice, it costs around £10 million a year to provide its specialist care services and, with 25 per cent of this funded by the Government, the hospice relies on donations and income generation from the local community to continue its vital care.

Kristy Clayton, Director of Clinical Services at St Giles Hospice, said: “Our vision at St Giles is for ‘A world where everyone has fair access to specialist palliative and end of life care’ and it is only with appropriate funding from the Government that we can meet this vision.

“Every year, we care for thousands of people across Staffordshire, North Birmingham and surrounding areas, both on our Inpatient Unit and in their own homes.

“But with rising costs, exacerbated by the current economic climate, and donations squeezed as our supporters struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis, we need the Government to increase its funding to ensure that everyone continues to receive the end of life care that they deserve.

“After all, we only have one chance to get that right.”

A Parliamentary debate on hospice funding took place in the House of Commons on Monday, April 22.

Conservative MP Sally-Ann Hart said that the current funding model, which is reliant upon charitable fundraising, is “uncertain and unsustainable”, whilst Labour MP Colleen Fletcher added that “this sector’s reliance on fundraising for much of its income brings with it significant risks.”

St Giles Hospice was pleased to see this vitally important topic on the agenda, but is urging the conversation to continue.  

“We’re facing a funding gap this year of £1.5 million and we know that we’re not alone, with many hospices across the UK in the same position,” added Kristy.

“It’s only thanks to our incredible local community that we’ve been able to care for patients, and their loved ones, over our 40-year history. But we need to ensure that St Giles is here for another 40 years, and beyond. 

“We need a new funding model for end of life care – and we need it now.”

Town prepares for the big day in June

The iconic Sutton Fun Run is back with new sponsors for when the starting gun is fired in June.

West Midlands law firm George Green LLP Solicitors – who opened their third regional office in Sutton Coldfield last summer – have partnered with the Royal Sutton Fun Run as a supporting sponsor.

Registration for this year’s Fun Run has now closed, with the event scheduled for Sunday, 2 June at the end of spring half term.

Gemma Fenton, Family Law partner at George Green LLP Solicitors, said: “As one of the Midlands’ leading law firms, serving both businesses and individuals, we took the decision in the summer of 2023 to open our first office outside the Black Country.

“Our Royal Sutton Coldfield office, located in Emmanuel Court, Reddicroft, in the heart of the town centre, is our first venture away from Cradley Heath and Wolverhampton.

“We’ve been very proactive supporting community initiatives and organisations within the Black Country where we’ve been based since 1897.

“The Royal Sutton Fun Run is the largest annual fundraising event within the town, so it was a natural choice to support the event to show our commitment to the town and encourage staff to participate and raise money for our chosen charity Mary Steven’s Hospice.”

Tracey Spare, Fun Run Event Director, said: “We’re delighted to welcome George Green LLP Solicitors as a supporting sponsor for 2024. It’s rewarding to see new businesses within the town wanting to support the Fun Run both as a commercial sponsor and encouraging staff to participate and raise money for charity.

“We hope this is the start or a long-term relationship with George Green LLP Solicitors and wish them every success with their new office in the town.

“Over the past 42 years, the Royal Sutton Fun Run has distributed over £5.1 million to charities with thousands of participants taking part each year. Without commercial support from businesses such as George Green LLP Solicitors, this wouldn’t be possible, so thank you.”

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Fun runners, serious athletes or those looking for a walk in the sun are being urged to register for the Royal Sutton Fun run. After opening in early February, the 10-week registration period will close at 11pm this coming Monday, 15 April.

This year’s Royal Sutton Fun Run will be staged along its traditional 8.5-mile route on Sunday 2 June.

Registrations can be completed here.

Entries have already been received from Streetly Academy, Good Hope Hospital, Cookes Furniture, FIT Sutton Coldfield, Acacia Family Support and the Royal Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce.

There is also a final ‘in-person’ registration opportunity tomorrow, Saturday 13 April, between 10am and 2pm at the RotoSpa showroom in Boldmere.

Anyone who visits the showroom will go into a free draw to win a week-long spa hire, while anyone who also registers for the Fun Run at RotoSpa, will have the added incentive of going into a free draw for a £25 Sutton Runner voucher.

Event director Tracey Spare said: “Registration will close ahead of the 11pm deadline on Monday if we reach the maximum number of entries [5,500], therefore I would urge anyone still to register for this year’s Fun Run to complete the registration process as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment.

“There’s a link at the top of the Fun Run web site home page www.royalsuttonfunrun.orgwhich will take you to the registration page. It only takes a few minutes to complete the process to secure your place.”

A bargain retailer has closed a store in Sutton Coldfield without warning, less than two years after it opened. One of its local concept stores, it opened in Boldmere Road in 2022.

Signs on the outside of the store state: “Sorry. We have closed. Don’t worry! We’re not far! Visit our store nearby…” and then showing a map to the Poundland in The Parade in Sutton town centre, which is 1.8 miles away. In fact, the Poundland at Princess Alice Retail Park is nearer at 1.2 miles away.

The discount chain, with its headquarters in nearby Walsall, was testing the new format Poundland Local shop to ‘bring convenience shopping to neighbourhoods not currently served by Poundland’.

The store was established to fill the gap between the chain’s big shop at the Princess Alice Retail Park in New Oscott and its town centre outlet in the Parade. However, a little over a year-and-a-half later, the ‘neighbourhood convenience store’ has permanently closed.

In addition to its usual range of discounted items such as drinks, snacks, health and beauty products, and household items, the store also sold fresh bread, fruits and vegetables, hot pies and pastries, and frozen goods.

A spokesman for Poundland told BirminghamLive: “I’m afraid it’s a location where we’ve been unable to secure a lease that would have enabled us to stay there. Whenever we have to close to a store in those circumstances, we do everything we can to look after colleagues.”

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