Irish Hospice Foundation Welcomes Offaly Hospice Foundation’s €500k Donation as a “A major investment in the future development of Hospice Care in the Midlands”
Offaly Hospice Foundation‘s announcement of a €500k ‘kick start’ for the building of a Level 3, Specialist Palliative Care (SPC) Inpatient Unit in the Midlands has been warmly welcomed as a progressive initiative and a major investment in the future development of Hospice Care in the Midlands by the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF).
Sharon Foley, CEO of the IHF commenting on last week’s announcement said ‘This is good news for the Midlands region which is one of the very few areas without a Level 3 SPC Inpatient Unit in Ireland. The IHF has long invested in planning and advocacy for SPC services for the four Midland Counties to try to increase development, investment and infrastructure in the region. Most hospice services in Ireland, including the SPC Inpatient Units around the country, have come about as a partnership between voluntary hospice groups fundraising efforts and State investment in the services when built. Offaly Hospice Foundation is to be commended for taking this vital step to progress the project. It is our expectation that their €500k donation will attract other funds and funders and bring this long-held vision to realisation. Tullamore Lions Club is already engaged with Offaly Hospice Foundation and we hope that other local community and business organisations follow suit’.
The Midlands region is the one of the few remaining areas of the country without a Level 3 SPC Inpatient Unit. The region is currently served by SPC Consultants and home care services and by Level 2 hospice beds in the community. A Level 3 SPC Inpatient Unit would support, develop and underpin the excellent and vital palliative care services already provided by the palliative care specialists, homecare teams and GPs in the area. Those people in need of palliative and end-of-life care in the Midlands deserve access to the full range of services and care options already available to people in other parts of the country.
