‘Time Right’ for Hospice Expansion

UP to 80 more patients a year are to be cared for with the announcement that a North Yorkshire hospice is about to expand.St Catherine’s Hospice, in Scarborough, which cares for people from Whitby down to Filey and across the Ryedale area, is to open three additional beds, taking the total to 16.It is expected they will be operational by April. They will cost 40,000 in capital costs and another 250,000 a year to run.It will also mean recruiting up to ten additional nursing staff at the hospice’s headquarters in Throxenby Lane, Scarborough.Chief executive Lee Barker said: “We know there is a need for this additional capacity and, with the continuing generosity and support of the communities we serve, we feel this is the right time to open these beds for the benefit of our patients.”This is fantastic news for St Catherine’s, the residents we serve and for all our staff and magnificent supporters.”She added: “We know there is both a need and an expectation for the hospice to grow and make use of our extra capacity, but, particularly when so much of our funding comes from the unstinting support of local residents, we have to be extremely prudent when it comes to expanding the service. We have been patient and waited until the time was right.”

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