A BIRMINGHAM hospice has been officially taken over by its own staff – with fundraisers admitting they face a £600,000 cash challenge.

Erdington’s John Taylor hospice, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, left direct NHS control after staff won the right to run the hospice as an independent social enterprise.

Staff and supporters marked the take over event at the Grange Road site with a reception and the release of 101 balloons – one for every year of the hospice’s existence.

Outlining the benefits, the site’s clinical lead Helen Karakas, who leads a team of 52 in-patient nurses and a bank staff of 35 more, said: “We will be a smaller organisation and there will be less bureaucracy. We will be able to respond quickly and decisions will be taken at a local level.”

But the change will also present a financial challenge with the hospice’s League of Friends fundraisers warning they would need to drum up an additional £600,000 per year.

Interim chief executive Jonathan Lloyd, who was seconded from Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust to oversee the transition, said: “There are challenges ahead, but also huge opportunities. It is going to be an exciting time for us and it has to work.

“I am confident we can raise the money.

‘‘You can never have enough volunteers and we always need more, but I am confident we can do it.”

The hospice has 18 beds, but also provides care at home and has a multi-disciplinary community team of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses, a pharmacist and a dietician. The hospice also offers community end of life care, including hospice at home, Macmillan services and bereavement support.

Ray Woods, from the League of Friends, said: “We will have to work harder to raise the funds that the hospice needs, but we are up for the challenge.”

Contact the League of Friends free on 0800 781 1898.