Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust’s Post

As part of the UK government’s work to shape its 10-year plan for the NHS in England, organisations representing people who use the NHS have been invited to respond to a written consultation. We have submitted a response on behalf of the charity in which we called for a commitment within the 10-year plan to turn the tide on the increasing burden of CKD. You can watch our short animation to find out more about the key points we made. We also hosted a patient focus group resulting in a report that has also been submitted to complement this work. You can read more about these here: https://lnkd.in/gW2XECKP There is still time for you to share your own individual response, you can do this here: https://lnkd.in/dmqrAHsZ

Such an important point here by Phil Kerry about the damage done by these misleading headlines about charity CEO salaries, and the truth behind the numbers. And yes, the Charity Commission should categorise charities better - but more than that, our sector would be much better off if they stopped periodically throwing red meat to the right wing press, knowing exactly what the results will be. Because the results are always the same - wilful oversimplification of the data to intentionally erode public trust. A bit like those periodic headlines about "mega rich charities" that are actually funders which make use of a huge endowment to give grants to the sector. There's nothing wrong with debating how much charities of different sizes should pay their CEOs, and how much of their endowments funders should pay out. But we rarely have proper debates, we just have pile-ons.

No doubt this story will cause X, formerly known as Twitter, to go into a periodic meltdown about charity sector salaries. Thousands will make posts claiming they'll be cancelling direct debit donations to charities, that they probably don't even have in place. But few are left on that site that can put the matter in perspective. Phil has done a good job putting the latest attempt to create a scandal out of a molehill in context, but the sector needs to communicate more robustly and openly about pay as a whole. However, I don't see the likes of The Telegraph getting uppity and upset about the issue of low and stagnant pay that affects many people who work for causes. Or the fact that a recent survey found that 46% of charity sector job adverts posted on LinkedIn failed to include salary details. Perhaps it thinks charity sector workers don't have bills to pay, and can survive on a diet of air and raindrops? Perhaps there's a need for a new campaign, #GrowTheSalary, to be run alongside a revived and reinvigorated #ShowTheSalary?

Lightning Fibre supports St Wilfrid's Hospice, Eastbourne to mark its seventh business anniversary. Eastbourne-based full fibre broadband provider Lightning Fibre has continued it's tradition of "paying for a day of nursing care" at local Hospice, St Wilfrid's, with a cheque for £400. The company also provides free broadband to the hospice's local charity shops. Rob Reaks presented the cheque to Dave Longman and commented, "We are proud to support St Wilfrid's Hospice, who do great work for our community." #FullFibreRocks #lightningfibre #fullfibrebroadband

Navigating funding challenges in palliative care and how Teesside Hospice is adapting to the latest budget changes Teesside Hospice, a much-loved charity based in Middlesbrough, is a vital provider of palliative care, dedicated to supporting individuals with terminal illnesses across the Tees Valley. 💖 Read more in the Winter 2024-25 issue of Tees Business, online here: https://lnkd.in/e5G8cVWV

In response to the recent UK Budget announcement, we’re facing tough news for charities like ours—impacting our ability to support children facing serious illnesses and their families. While we welcome increased NHS funding, the increased employer contributions mean we will need to divert funding away from the services that we provide to families, including counselling, peer to peer support, a range of creative therapy services, and respite breaks. Read our full response to the UK budget announcement here:  https://lnkd.in/e_aRm7ps #UKBudget #CharitySector #NonProfits #UKCharity

The Charity Commission looks like it is waving a large stick covered in tar, which is unhelpful guidance (threat?) for Trustees of small and medium sized charities (the vast majority of charities) who, in my experience, are trying to ensure they attract the right CEO to survive first and then thrive. The right CEO is hard to find and, whilst average salaries are significantly lower than the private sector, market dynamics are just as competitive.

The latest Sector Overview Report is now available, providing an outline of the charity sector in Scotland over the last three months. Based on the information provided by charities on the Scottish Charity Register, the report details the scale and scope of the charity sector in Scotland. Find out more about the key facts and figures from the new report 👇 https://buff.ly/45YEQc2

I am starting to wonder if the Charity Commission for England and Wales needs to add categories of membership to stop some of these damaging headlines and help the public understand the sector better. Because I read this and my hearts sinks, because I know what the implications of the piece will be. All because 19 charities (out of 170,000) paid 44 people (out of a workforce of over a million) more than £400,000. Yes it is a huge sum but it is worth noting that 20 of these come from Wellcome Trust who have a turnover of >£500million and won't be in receipt of individual donations. And a handful more come from Nuffield Health whose £1billion+ turnover would dwarf most private sector companies. As a sector we need to do more to educate the public on the modern day role that charities play in society, but I can't help but think that we might also need a better way of categorising the 'super charities' so that it is clear that charity in the year 2025 takes many forms - and this is not a representative one.

Festive cheer, yes...but WHY does Edinburgh International Festival bring music and the arts into NHS settings, community centres and schools all throughout the year? “Engagement with performance-based art such as plays, musicals and ballet, and particularly participation in music, is linked to reductions in depression and in pain and improved quality of life,” from a recent study carried out by Frontier and the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Arts and Health. Those impacts have real, tangible value, for example reduced costs to the NHS and increased productivity at work. It's about quality of life. Want to know how you can help? Get in touch! It's support from people like you--whether individually, through your company, or a trust or foundation--who ensure the arts reach their full potential in making life worth living. Need convincing? Read the Guardian's summary of the research study, link in comments.