A TYNEDALE care facility is preparing to launch an ambitious £120,000 fund-raising drive aimed at addressing a shortage of respite care beds in the district.
Trustees and staff at Charlottle Straker in Corbridge say they are determined to find the cash needed to offer hard-pressed families and carers a break by allocating one bed for people over 65, who do not require permanent admission to a care home.
The facility was home to three GP beds which were used to prevent hospital admissions and provided both palliative and respite care.
However, due to funding cuts, the beds were wound down and eventually axed completely in 2014 – a move which chairman of trustees, Dr Bill Cunningham, believes left a gap in provision.
“We’ve done a lot of work over the last six months or so to reach out to the local community and ask what they want from our service,” said Dr Cunningham, a retired GP.
“The mission at Charlotte Straker has always been to serve local people; and the very strong message we got back was that the GP beds are very much missed.”
The respite care bed campaign aims to generate the £40,000 per year needed to cover the cost of the bed for the next three years so that it can be offered free to those who need it most.
It would allow families and carers the chance to take a one or two-week break. Those eligible for care may include people with long-term conditions or disabilities.
Dr Cunningham said: “Over time what I’ve come to notice is that short-term respite care in Tynedale has become increasingly difficult to access. In times of austerity it is not a priority for commissioners and 20 years ago, Charlotte Straker was a community hospital.
“But a lot of those services like that are gone now, along with many day care facilities.
“Our aim is to make sure as many people as possible can benefit.”
The appeal will be officially launched with a special event on September 7 in the hope that the new respite care bed service can begin in early January.
Grants and fund-raising events have already generated in excess of £30,000.
Donations can be pledged online at mydonate.bt.com/charities/thecharlottestrakerproject
More information about the proposed service can be found at www. charlottestraker.org.uk/ our-care/services/respite-care/
gemma.brown@hexham-courant.co.uk
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