Coronavirus: St David's Hospice wins Covid-19 emergency funding campaign

The hospice lobbied the Welsh Government to extend the scheme beyond September

A hospice has won a campaign to extend emergency funding through the coronavirus pandemic.

St David's Hospice Care in Newport lobbied the Welsh Government to ring-fence some of the £6.3m funding until the end of the financial year.

Chief executive Emma Saysell told BBC Wales the charity anticipated a "very hard winter" and need the funds beyond September.

The Welsh Government extended the funding from six to 12 months.

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The hospice fears a drop in income because of difficult trading conditions for its 38 shops.

It said the problem has been exacerbated in the Caerphilly County Borough area, which is under local lockdown.

The hospice is concerned about trading conditions for its shops, particularly where there are local lockdowns

It also has concerns over the future of its fundraising events which generate large amounts of money, such as the Newport half marathon next spring, which would be expected to bring in around £100,000.

While the hospice does not anticipate going under, it said it would need to review the services it provides if money became tight.

The hospice is also starting to deal with the problem of staff - or members of their households - testing positive as cases start to rise, which puts a strain on its ability to provide services.

It said it has plans in place to help the NHS with palliative care during the winter, freeing up GPs and district nurses for other tasks.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "Hospices in Wales provide incredibly important services.

"We have extended the availability of emergency funding from six to 12 months and continue to work with hospices to understand their future funding requirements."