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£10,000 grant goes a long way to help Compton Care during crisis

A charity that offers palliative care, partnering with people to embrace life with complex or incurable illnesses, has been awarded a £10,000 grant to support its work during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Clinical nurse specialist Charlotte Stubbs wears the full PPE outfit at Compton Care, Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton-based Compton Care applied for the funding from local electricity distributor Western Power Distribution (WPD) from its In This Together – Community Fund.

Suzanne Davies, senior trusts fundraiser, said: “Thanks to your support with the amazing grant you gave us, we were able to ensure that during the coronavirus pandemic vulnerable patients and their scared families knew they had a hand to (virtually) hold whenever they needed it.

“The money went towards creating an additional seven inpatient beds to reduce pressure on hospitals, introducing a dedicated telephone support line for care homes and GPs who need assistance and supporting district nurses with hands on care for patients and lowering the threshold to which patients are usually referred, to include frailty and underlying health conditions.

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“We are painfully aware of how the pandemic has damaged so many peoples lives.  To try and help we have turned our Bereavement Information Hubs virtual, with the hope of offering people a place of friendship and support to deal with their grief.

“Thanks to you, terminally ill patients and their families received the support they so desperately needed during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The fund, which has now closed, invited applications from charities, community groups, parish councils and local authorities to apply for grants of up to £10,000 to help those directly affected by the pandemic.

Over £162,000 has been donated to a range of local hospitals, community groups, local authorities and parish councils across the West Midlands by WPD, enabling vital support and care to be delivered directly to people impacted by the coronavirus.

In addition, local councils, community groups and volunteer organisations have received awards to support those in need of extra care during the lockdown.

Alison Sleightholm, WPD’s resources & external affairs director, said: “Our team has worked tirelessly to get our fund running and active. I’m delighted that we‘ve been able to move quickly and support some fantastic organisations which are making a real difference to thousands of vulnerable people through the pandemic.”