St Andrew’s Hospice has received £7,725 from the Scottish Government Wellbeing Fund to provide their new Hearty Hospice Meals services to patients and carers throughout Lanarkshire.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, St Andrew’s Hospice has continued to support shielding patients and carers who are unable to attend Outpatient and Wellbeing services by offering weekly support calls.

During one of these support calls, a patient expressed to the team that despite relatives and neighbours bringing her groceries, they were struggling to prepare and cook nutritious meals due to fatigue and reduced dexterity. The Hospice’s Outpatient , Catering and Facilities teams pulled together and created ‘Hearty Hospice Meals’ which would enable up to 12 patients and their carers to be provided with a freshly cooked homemade 2 course meal, 3 days per week.

The team applied for funding from the Scottish Government Wellbeing Fund to run Hearty Hospice Meals and were awarded £7,725.55 to provide the new service for 3 months.

St Andrew’s Hospice is now looking for additional funding to continue the service due to the positive impact it’s having on patients and their carers shielding at home.

Anne is retired and lives alone. She has Parkinson’s disease which has led to reduced mobility and ataxia (disjointed involuntary movements). Since lockdown, Anne has received less support and was struggling to make herself fresh, nutritious meals.

Since the launch of Hearty Hospice Meals, Anne’s sense of wellbeing has improved. She told us: “The meals are absolutely lovely! The menu choice is good, with large portions. I feel this service has improved my health greatly by relieving some of the stresses of lockdown. ”