Lantern Issue #99

I would like to start by saying thank you to all our staff, volunteers and supporters, for helping us through these challenging times. I know the past six months have been a worrying time for everyone and we are very grateful for your support. Throughout the pandemic, Farleigh Hospice has been working hard to continue to support our local community. In response to Covid-19, we moved all our services into the community, delivering hospice care within people’s homes, working hard to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and, where possible, enabling people to spend their last few days and hours with their loved ones.

We have continued to offer information, advice, counselling, consultations and bereavement support virtually. Our patient and carers groups have moved online, and we launched a temporary helpline, designed to support anyone in mid-Essex with concerns over the coronavirus.

Our Inpatient Unit has now reopened and, we are starting to rebuild our services for the future. I am pleased to welcome Dr Matt Sweeting, our new Director of Care, Matt joins us from Broomfield Hospital, where he was a consultant, specialising in care for older people. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge, and we are very excited to welcome Matt to Farleigh. Our Farleigh Maldon project is moving forward, we have appointed an architect and, we will soon be launching our Maldon appeal to help us complete the renovations.

I would like to once again thank everyone who has supported us through this difficult time. We have been truly humbled by the incredible donations of PPE, gifts for our frontline staff, and amazing fundraising initiatives. Knowing our community has been thinking of us during the pandemic gives our staff, patients, and their families such hope.

Alison Stevens,
Chief Executive