- Select supports St Michael's Hospice, Basingstoke
- Donation of free VW ID.3
- EV will help doctors and nurses care for patients
- Charity partnership dates back to 2021
(Pic, left to right: Select Car Leasing CEO Mark Tongue, Hospice at Home Lead Ann Bradshaw, St Michael's Hospice Operations Director Chris Griffiths)
A respected hospice has thanked Select Car Leasing after being gifted a brand new electric vehicle to help doctors and nurses care for patients.
St Michael’s Hospice is a ten-bed inpatient unit in Basingstoke that supports people across North Hampshire who have a life-limiting illness, who are facing end-of-life, or who are experiencing bereavement.
For Chris Griffiths, Operations Director, the ethos is for the hospice to be like a ‘hotel’ - and ‘as far from a hospital as possible’ - not just for patients but for their family and friends.
St Michael’s works with people who are living with complex conditions.
Symptoms are brought under control by the hospice’s expert palliative care team before the patient can, if they wish to and it is possible, return home and be supported by the ‘Hospice at Home’ team.
And it’s here where the new EV - a Volkswagen ID.3 - handed-over by Select Car Leasing will be put to work.
Chris described the free car as a ‘game-changing’ moment for the team.
He added: “St Michael’s Hospice is a very, very special place - but one you typically only learn about when you’re going through a really tough time.
“So, we’re extremely grateful to receive such incredible support from Select Car Leasing. The new VW ID.3 really is a game-changer for our doctors, nurses and support staff.
“It simply makes life easier for our Hospice at Home team, giving them a safe, reliable company car which means they don’t have to worry about using their own personal vehicles to visit patients.”
Select Car Leasing, headquartered in Reading, Berks, has supported St Michael’s Hospice since 2021 when it first donated the use of another car - a Vauxhall Grandland X - to Chris and his team.
Mark Tongue, CEO and Co-Founder of Select Car Leasing, said: “St Michael’s Hospice provides care and compassion to hundreds of patients and their families each year, assisting countless people in their hour of need. Many members of staff here at Select have been personally touched by the incredible care that St Michael’s provides. That’s why we’re delighted to continue our support of the hospice and we’ll be working closely with Chris and his team to offer further assistance where we can in the future.”
St Michael’s use of a free car from Select is set against a backdrop of financial challenges within the entire charity sector.
The hospice costs £15,000 each day to run, and St Michael’s receives less than 16% of that funding from the NHS. St Michael’s instead relies on charitable donations and generates revenue via its ten charity shops located across North Hampshire.
The hospice’s National Insurance burden has increased by £100,000 this year, stemming from changes announced in the Autumn Budget. While Chris is optimistic for the future, the hospice’s reserves are not bottomless and St Michael’s welcomes additional financial help.
Chris says: “Here at St Michael’s, we only have one chance to get it right - and you simply have to get it right. It’s a sad fact of life that people die on a daily basis and if St Michael’s wasn’t here, the NHS wouldn’t be able to replicate the care and service that we can provide.
“Funding challenges can be frustrating, as we always strive to provide the best care possible, but we are thankfully hugely well supported by the local community.”
There are also some incredibly uplifting stories to be found at St Michael’s, too.
A bereavement team works with patients and families both pre and post-death. Chris is proud to say that there has been at least one wedding among people who have met at these bereavement sessions.
He adds: “It’s about offering support, not just in the immediate moment but for weeks and months afterwards, as we accompany people on their journey. They become part of the Hospice family”.
*If you’d like to fundraise or offer financial support to St Michael’s Hospice, Basingstoke, visit the 'Get Involved' section of the website or email fundraising@stmichaelshospice.org.uk.
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