Today’s featured charity for November Good Causes is another member, Weldmar Hospicecare, providing free specialist palliative care services to adults and their families, principally in North, South and West Dorset. The charity operates a 16 bed in-patient hospice in Dorchester, day care hospices in Dorchester, Weymouth, Bridport and Shaftesbury and a community nursing team.
Registered charity no: 1000414
About Weldmar Hospicecare
Weldmar Hospicecare is an independent charity providing specialist end of life care for people living in Dorset. Our compassionate approach supports patients and their families in the community, at home, and in our hospice. All of our care is free.
We have a dedicated team of nurses, doctors, therapists, social workers and counsellors, but only 21% of our funds are provided by the NHS – the rest is raised thanks to the support of the local community.
Our aim is to ensure all patients needing end of life care in Dorset have access to excellent services, delivered when they are needed, meeting individual needs of patients and their loved ones.
Despite Covid-19, we have not only continued our services, but actually increased them to meet ever growing demand. A 12% increase this year in referrals to Weldmar Community Nurses has led to an extra team member being appointed, and our Inpatient Unit in Dorchester has seen a 16% increase in admissions.
This is despite our chain of charity shops spending a lengthy amount of time with their doors closed, including this month during the second lockdown. We have also cancelled all major fundraising events since March, and that is likely to continue through much of 2021, so the support of the local community is more crucial than ever before.
Please consider making Weldmar Hospicecare your ‘Charity of the Year’ during 2021, or holding a fundraiser within your organisation? You could enrol in our Payroll Giving or Pennies From Heaven initiatives, or come up with a cause related marketing campaign. There are lots more ideas on how to support us in business on our website.
Take a virtual tour around our Inpatient Unit here, to find out how we are dealing with the pandemic.
To find out more and donate, please click here to visit our November Good Causes.