15 Jul 2021 Care

We helped more people than ever before last year thanks to our local community

In March 2020, the world as we knew it changed. During a period of unprecedented crisis across the world, The Kirkwood were forced to adapt and change the way they cared for and supported patients and families, practically overnight. The economic impact has been severe, but thanks to the support of our amazing community, wew have been able to weather the storm and are looking to the future with hope once again. 

Over the last 12 months, The Kirkwood have helped more people in Kirklees than ever before, supporting an average of 337 people each week between April 2020 and March 2021.  

Those accessing care from The Kirkwood are among most vulnerable people in our community, and we had to act decisively during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic to keep them safe, protect them from the impact of the virus and make sure those at the very end of life were able to make the most of the time they had left – no matter what was happening in the wider world. 

Our hard working teams worked around the clock to reduce the risks posed to those in our care, whether on the In-Patient Unit in Dalton, out in the community or in their own homes. 

Just a few members of The Kirkwood's hard working team.

 

Despite the huge challenges posed by coronavirus, the priority for our team was to ensure that everyone who needed help continued to be able to access it, whenever and wherever they needed it. That meant adapting to a new way of working, practically overnight.  

Reflecting on the challenges of the past year, our Chief Executive, Michael Crowther, said: “Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve worked together to help those in our care to live well and make the most of every single day. We have done everything we can to keep patients and their families safe - they deserve nothing less. 

“We knew very early on that our services needed to change to make sure we could still offer support to anyone who needed us. We very quickly began to offer virtual consultations where it was more appropriate and delivering wellbeing sessions via Zoom.  

“We also began to offer telephone counselling and bereavement services – which we extended to anyone bereaved through COVID-19.  

“We’ve heavily publicised our 24/7 Advice Line throughout the past year too, so that patients know they can still reach us even – even if they were isolating. That publicity alone led to 1,549 out of hours calls last year from those in need of help or advice.  

“Although we quickly adapted to make many appointments virtual, The Kirkwood Nurses in our Community team have continued to visit the most vulnerable in their own home throughout the pandemic,​ as they have always done, because we believe it is right thing to do​. 

“We have also been able to continue to keep our In-Patient Unit open, meaning our dedicated nurses and doctors could continue to offer the very best, round-the-clock care."

None of the achievement of the last year would have been possible without the dedication of The Kirkwood’s employees and volunteers. Although many volunteers weren’t able to continue with their usual roles, others played a huge part in protecting the charity from the risks posed by coronavirus. 

Michael continued: “Our Volunteers are the life blood of our charity, and it’s been such a difficult time for so many of them. Although a number have been able to play a huge part over the past year, many of our dedicated volunteers woke up one morning no longer able to volunteer in the way they always had. Without exception, they have been amazing, and have continue to champion our cause and wait patiently until we were able to welcome them back again.  

“I am so proud of the commitment, dedication and care shown by all our volunteers and employees during the past 16 months. From our nurses and doctors to our fundraisers and healthcare professionals; from our cleaners to our shop teams, they have all worked tirelessly throughout the coronavirus pandemic to keep our patients and each other as safe as possible, and to ensure that our vital local charity continues to be here long into the future."

Michael Crowther, Chief Executive with The Kirkwood.

 

The economic impact of coronavirus has been keenly felt by our charity. We have been hit hard, with our shops forced to close for large parts of the year, major fundraising events like the Midnight Memory Walk cancelled and the ability of our supporters to raise funds curtailed – practically overnight.  

We rely heavily on income from fundraising events and community donations, which fell by 42% during 2020/21, as well as their retail sales, which also shrank by 53%. 

Support from the government, both at national and local level has helped to weather the storm, but still led to The Kirkwood reporting an operating deficit 20% greater than in the previous year, with income not covering costs during the 2020/21 financial year.  

Despite the difficult financial landscape, as we begin to see a return to a more normal way of life, Michael is looking to the future with a renewed sense of hope and optimism. 

He said: “I’d like to thank every one of our supporters for standing with us during this most challenging of years, and for helping The Kirkwood Support Life in these unprecedented times, despite all of the restrictions. Our community continues to stand by us because they believe, like us, that anyone here in Kirklees who is affected by a life limiting illnesses deserves the very best care.  

“On top of that, many local people have told us that they are keen to see the end of restrictions so that they can get back to making a contribution through fundraising.  

“We know it will take a number of years for income to get back to the levels we have previously seen, so it’s going to be a challenging period. But we have learned a lot throughout the pandemic and have adapted the way we operate to make sure we continue to do the right thing by those who rely on our services. Many of these changes will alter the way we work in the long term, providing different opportunities for us to thrive in what I am sure is set to be a challenging social and financial climate post COVID-19.”