South West hospice secures HSBC UK funding to continue patient care

By Nicky Godding

25 June 2020

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A South West hospice can continue to offer palliative care for hundreds of patients across Somerset and Wiltshire after securing a seven-figure finance facility as part of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), from HSBC UK amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Dorothy House, founded in 1976 to provide care for those with life-limiting illnesses, lost two key sources of income after closing its 27 charity shops and cancelling a number of fundraising activities when lockdown measures were announced. It has used the funding to support its depleted cash flow, enabling it to continue to provide free care to around 600 patients at a time when demand for their services is increasing.

Tony DeJaeger, Financial Director at Dorothy House, said: “Since the beginning of the lockdown period, we have experienced a huge decline in our regular income streams, which are crucial for us to continue operating our hospices across the South West. We are pleased to have HSBC as our banking partner, who have already provided vital funding helping us support our cash flow and ensuring we can operate throughout these tough conditions to support those in our community that really need us. Our Relationship Director, Paul Dowell, has worked closely with us during these challenging times and was able to put the funding in place very quickly so we could adapt to the changing lockdown landscape.”

James Shepherd, Head of Corporate Banking, Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, HSBC UK, added:

“Dorothy House is a well-established charity with deep roots in the South West and the number of people it supports across the region every year is astounding. We are pleased to play a part in supporting the team through this challenging time, enabling the charity to continue its excellent care despite the lockdown. We look forward to continuing our relationship in the future.”

Dorothy House operates hospices and charity shops across 700 sq. miles of the South West and employs almost 1,500 paid and voluntary staff.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.