The Wessex Breast Cancer centre in Titchfield to permanently close.
Haven supporter Alison Ascough being interviewed by BBC South Today about the closure.. Watch the interview tonight from 6.30pm
In a statement on their website the charities CEO Sally Hall wrote…
“For over 20 years Breast Cancer Haven has been providing free one to one physical, emotional and practical support to anyone affected by breast cancer.
All our centres were forced to close their doors at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and still remain closed. It is uncertain when we will be able to resume in-person and touch therapy appointments with our visitors.
Today we have announced that we have taken the difficult decision to permanently close two of our regional support centres. The closure of the Wessex centre in Titchfield and the West Midlands centre in Solihull is a necessary strategic decision made to safeguard the future of the charity. Because of the coronavirus pandemic the charity has been faced with a 50% shortfall in voluntary income and must restructure to protect our vital support services for the future.
At the beginning of lockdown we took immediate and decisive steps to reduce the financial impact of the Covid-19 crisis by all staff taking a 20% reduction in salary and using the Government furlough scheme. While these measures helped in the short term, the longer-term impact of the loss of income has put the future of the charity at risk.
The decision to close two of our centres has not been taken lightly. Unfortunately, the financial conditions imposed by the pandemic have left us very little choice, and we must put the people who have breast cancer and their families at the heart of our decisions, to ensure we are able to be there for them in the future.
In addition to closing two centres permanently, we are also reducing the number of people who work for the charity with planned redundancies.
A redundancy consultation process has begun with all those staff affected by the closures. We will be devastated to see any of our colleagues go and I want to thank them for working so hard to ensure the highest level of care has always been given to the people who use our services. These changes form part of
Breast Cancer Haven’s revised strategy, which is to reduce spending in line with our projected income, making our services more accessible, and rethinking our delivery model to reach more people. Help and support will continue to be available remotely for all those affected by breast cancer: over the telephone and online.
Online support classes, workshops and 1:1 therapies will continue as normal. We are the only breast cancer charity in the UK doing this vital work and although we might look different, our charity will continue to provide essential emotional, practical and physical support to the people who need us most. Our centres in Leeds and Hereford will reopen once it is safe to do so and our income has increased.
Our NHS based outreach services will recommence as soon as we are permitted. Our new London centre will open as planned in Spring 2021.”