Protecting St Luke’s services during the coronavirus outbreak – a message from our Chief Executive, Steve Statham

The outbreak of coronavirus – and the speed at which the situation is unfolding – mean we are all living in unprecedented times, but I want to reassure you that my colleagues and I are doing everything possible to ensure St Luke’s vital service for patients and their families continues. Protecting their safety and well-being, and that of our staff and volunteers, is always our top priority and we are closely monitoring the rapidly changing situation, assessing its implications for our service and making decisions based on official advice from Public Health England.

In common with many organisations, one of the biggest challenges we face is the inevitable drop in funding as a result of the outbreak.

As a charity with only 23% of our annual income coming from the NHS, we rely on the kindness of our community to help us continue making an important difference to local families facing a very challenging time. It is now, more than ever, that we need your generous support to ensure we keep our nurses on the wards and on the roads visiting patients at home in the weeks and months ahead.

Over the years, I have been very touched to see how much St Luke’s means to so many and, while we never take your support for granted, I know you will rise to the challenge. There are lots of ways you can do this, from donating to our charity shops, playing our weekly lottery or sponsoring a nurse to dedicating a leaf on our beautiful Memory Tree. Or, if you’d rather, you can simply make an online donation here.

If you would like to join us as a volunteer, there couldn’t be a better time and we have a wide variety of roles. So, whether you want to give a few hours or a day or two a week, please don’t delay. Apply here.

However you choose to show your support for St Luke’s, please know your kindness counts and is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your continued understanding and support.