CHARITY
Our business is caring for our community
Community is everything at Lilian Faithfull Care – whether it is residents being happy in their new home, staff feeling comfortable at work or businesses becoming a trusted and valued partner. Founded by Lilian Faithfull 75 years ago, the charity now has five care homes and two day care community hubs across Gloucestershire, caring for in excess of 300 residents. At a time when central funding is never going to get close to meeting the demands of an ever-rising elderly population, Lilian Faithfull has been forced to adapt in order to thrive. It has trump cards in its pack, like the fact that it owns the five substantial properties that its residents call home – and the fact that it doesn’t have shareholders to answer to. But as chief executive Martin Hughes explained, that while the ship he oversees has advantages compared to others in the sector, it’s not all financial plain sailing. “The problem the government has is that funding in adult social care has gone down, there is no way of sugar-coating that,” he said. “The number of over-65s is also set to increase by as much as 67 per cent by 2034, meaning that there will be in excess of 220,000 in Gloucestershire alone. “The number of people suffering from dementia is
also set to double over the next 20 years. “The local authorities don’t have enough money to support as many people as they need.
“We are not for profit, so we don’t have to make profits each year and worry about paying back loans or debt. “We concentrate on looking after as many people as we can who have little or no means. “All our properties are owned. We’re financially very, very strong. My job as chief executive is to be a custodian. “Lilian Faithfull has been here for 75 years and it’s my job to ensure that it’s here for another 75. “I can afford to look at a longer term view and take longer term decisions.” At the heart of those decisions, is a desire to put the residents and 420 staff first in almost everything the charity does. Since becoming chief executive, Mr Hughes has made a conscious decision to delve deep into every facet of the charity’s operations in order to see what works best. “All of our homes in Cheltenham and our property in Pitchcombe are at the heart of communities,” he said. Martin Hughes, chief executive
120 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com
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