Charity support funds loss will be ‘devastating’

Charities say the end of support funds for cancer, mental health and carer services will be ‘devastating’ The three funds were made available in 2021 by the Department of Health in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The DOH says funding cannot be extended and will end as planned. Terri is worried about how the end of funding will affect her mental and physical health. While Terri also gets support from the Health Trust, she relies on the extra hours from the carers’ fund.

Terri said this allows here to do “normal things”" or go to the café. The charity has provided 946 hours of care but its funding will run out at the end of June. The Happiness Cafés provide information, advice and health and wellbeing activities in Kilkeel, Ballymartin, Warrenpoint, Bessbrook and Newry. Gloria Matthews refers to herself as cancer free, despite having three cancer diagnoses within five years.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, when she was 42. In 2008, Gloria got a terminal diagnosis and was given 12 to 18 months to live. She found Cancer Lifeline after seeing an advert in a local paper. Gloria said going through cancer again made her realise she was not the only one suffering, her family were in pain as well.

The beauty of Cancer Lifeline is that we recognise that a person who has been diagnosed with cancer, it’s their journey yes, but it also affects family members or friends. Gloria said the prospect of losing the funding would be taking away a lifeline. She said three things would suffer, “possible jobs, the Health Service, and the cancer patient. The support funds were administered and managed by the Community Foundation NI, using Covid-19 emergency funding.

The Department of Health said it would work with the Community Foundation NI in taking a robust evaluation of the funds. It added it would “continue to explore ways to minimise the impact on services. Some of the larger charities have more capacity and may be more robust and will be able to continue services.