About St Raphael's Hospice
A safe and reassuring lifeline; a service that is free of charge to all of our community.
Since 1987, St Raphael's has offered the special skills of hospice care to those facing life-threatening illness living in the boroughs of Merton and Sutton (predominantly Wimbledon, Merton, Sutton and Cheam). The service is completely free of charge, and provides high quality medical and nursing skills, as well as support to family and friends. St Raphael’s fully recognises and respects cultural, ethnic and religious differences and patients of all faiths or none, are welcome.
Medical, nursing and support staff do everything possible to relieve pain and sustain quality of life in an atmosphere of peace and comfort. In each case, Hospice care is tailored to the individuals needs. Services may include:
- Skilled medical care provided by doctors and nurses
- Care at home or in the hospice/palliative care centre
- A day centre providing social and creative opportunities, as well as treatments such as complementary therapies.
- Support for friends, family and children
- Spiritual support
- Respite care to give carers a break
- Counselling
All patients are accepted on the basis of clinical need and the hospice is completely free of charge to its patients, regardless of the extent of the services they receive.
Most patients have advanced cancer – St Raphael’s also takes patients with HIV/AIDS and certain neurological conditions, and offers respite and day care to patients with Motor Neurone Disease. Palliative, or hospice care, is now an advanced medical speciality, whereby distressing symptoms and pain can be successfully controlled in almost every case.
Reaching out in the community…
Day Care (4 days a week) enables patients to attend for a combination of social and clinical activities, with the additional advantage of providing carers with a short respite. Most patients stay at home throughout their association with the hospice – they may come in briefly for pain and symptom control. They will return home to be supported by our Community Palliative Care Team.
A network of support…
At Day Care, a wide variety of activities are enjoyed, including hairdressing, chiropody and aromatherapy. There are outings to local gardens, picnics and pub lunches. None of this would be possible without the amazing contribution made by the 200 or so volunteers who help in so many ways. Driving, reception duties, arranging flowers, helping with patient care in the hospice and using their many talents to make visits to the hospice such a pleasurable experience for our patients.
A fundraising mountain…
St Raphael's Hospice relies heavily upon voluntary contributions and depends upon the generosity of the local community to continue providing a high quality of care. It costs more than £75,000 a week to keep the hospice running. More than 80 per cent of income is spent on direct patient care, including medical and nursing salaries. St Raphael's Hospice receives a grant of just 26 per cent of the total cost from Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust, but the rest must be raised from charity donations, fundraising activities and legacies.
Hospice shops sell a wide range of excellent quality donated goods (clothes and bric-a-brac) and make a significant contribution to the hospice income.
Like most Hospices, St Raphael’s depends upon legacies to make up a large proportion of its income. Fortunately, many people choose to remember the hospice in their will, but it is very difficult to predict how much income will be received from this source in a single year.
The newest fundraising venture for the hospice is the Lottery - not the National Lottery, but a local draw with a top prize of £1,000 won every week. The income here will be far easier to predict, and as it grows, it will make just as big a contribution to the fundraising target as the hospice shops.
A wide range of different fund-raising events are held throughout the year, including bridge evenings, quizzes, coffee mornings, plant and cake sales. Some of the larger events include the Assault Course Challenge, an summer outdoor concert, sponsored walks on Wimbledon Common and along the River Wandle, Light Up a Life at Christmas and the Sunflower Appeal, which runs throughout June every year.
Raising the Profile…
Fundraising is also about publicity; keeping the hospice prominent in the local community. The ‘Life’ newsletter for St Raphael’s (published three times a year) and new ventures such as the website enable supporters to be fully informed about hospice activities and developments.