St Benedict’s Hospice, Sunderland

Charity Details

History and Activities 

St Benedict’s Hospice was formally established in 1984 as a result of fundraising co-ordinated by Dr Roland Ramsay OBE (1922- 2004). Ramsey was something of a regional pioneer because at the time St Benedict’s was the first and only hospice in the region. It was named after Benedict Biscop who founded a hospice (a place of hospitality) and monastery on the banks of the River Wear in 674AD.

Similar to many hospices, the Charity works with the local NHS Foundation Trust through a Partnership Agreement which provides the majority of the palliative care services the charity delivers. The charity itself only provides around 20% of the funding for the hospice, with the remainder funded by the NHS.  The hospice is extremely reliant on it team of over 100 volunteers who perform a variety of functions within the charity; working within the services, staffing the in-house Bistro and Gift Shop at the Hospice; administrative tasks; involvement in major fundraising activities, the collection and distribution of collection boxes, working in the retail shops; working within the patient transport service. The number of people who actually work at the hospice is around 100, but the majority are employed by the NHS or through contracts that the charity pays for with outside providers i.e. bereavement support services. The number of people employed directly by the charity is equivalent to 6 FTE.

The hospice moved to its current, state of the art centre in Ryhope, in 2013. 72% of the charity’s income is derived from philanthropic sources. The charity’s main source of income is from donations which amounted to £325,652 in 2016/2017. Fundraising, Lotteries and other trading income was £139,019.

Vital Statistics (year to 05/05/2017)

Website
http://www.stbenedicts.co.uk

References