St John’s Hospice

At our meeting on Thursday 17th August, Sue McGraw, the CEO of St John's Hospice in Lancaster traced the history of the hospice beginning with the work carried out by the Nuns led by Sister Aine at the St John of God monastery in Silverdale. The need for a hospice in Lancaster was confirmed at a meeting in Lancaster Town Hall and fundraising commenced. 1.9 million pounds was raised. The new hospice with 28 beds was built in 1984 and opened, as St John's Hospice, to patients in 1986. Sister Aine continued to serve the community at the new hospice which exists to provide care, compassion and support free of charge, to residents from North Lancashire, South Cumbria and parts of North Yorkshire. Now there are 13 beds at the hospice addition and 187 'Care at Home' nurses providing round the clock care. The annual cost to run the service is 5 million pounds of which the NHS provides around 25% and the remainder is from fund raising and voluntary donations. The cafe at the hospice and the shops provide a vital source of funding. Sue gratefully recognised the invaluable help of the 480 volunteers who regularly give their time.