LloydsPharmacy and Irish Hospice Foundation partnership renewed for a further two years

  • €65,000 raised by LloydsPharmacy to date to support work of hospices across Ireland

LloydsPharmacy announced today (XX) an extension of its community partnership with The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) for a further two years. The partnership will see Ireland’s largest pharmacy chain join with the IHF to increase public awareness of the work undertaken by hospices across the country and raise vital funds for the organisation in all of its 94 pharmacy stores. To date, €65,000 has been raised by the stores both for IHF and local hospices in the last two years.

Some key initiatives planned for 2016, include:

  • The Annual LloydsPharmacy-IHF Celebration Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, 24 - 25 September 2016. During this weekend, LloydsPharmacy will celebrate the xx anniversary of its establishment in Ireland, marking the event by holding numerous fundraising activities in-store. In addition to all monies raised, 2% of all sales in LloydsPharmacy stores will go directly to local hospices that weekend;
  • In the run-up to Christmas, ‘IHF Reindeer Food’, a special food mix of oats and magic for children to leave for Santa’s reindeer to fuel their journey on Christmas Eve, will be available in LloydsPharmacy stores nationwide. All proceeds for this special reindeer treat, will go to IHF. There will also be IHF Christmas cards for sale in all stores.
  • Throughout the year special IHF collection boxes will feature in all LloydsPharmacy stores, with all funds raised supporting the important work of IHF.

The IHF’s core objective is to provide the best care for people at end of life and practical support for their loved ones. They work across a range of areas including hospice home care for children, providing nurses for night care, improving primary care and care for people in their home and fundraising and advocating for Ireland’s 32 hospices across Ireland.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Goretti Brady, Manager of LloydsPharmacy, said: “I am delighted to announce that LloydsPharmacy is extending our successful partnership with the IHF for a further two years. Our respective organisations share many mutual objectives. Like the IHF, our pharmacists and store colleagues are often in daily contact with people at the end of their life, and with their family and friends, assist them in care and treatment. We are both committed to ensuring that patients receive the best quality of care and dignity as they approach end of life.

“The IHF and the wider hospice movement undertake vital work across Ireland, which has touched and helped practically every family in Ireland over the years. We are delighted to support them in their work and look forward to building on our successful partnership over the coming two years.”

Sharon Foley, CEO of The Irish Hospice Foundation noted: “I want to thank Lloyd’s Pharmacy for their continued support. Healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, play a vital role in providing good end-of-life care in communities across Ireland. The IHF also provides and promotes high quality end-of-life care for all through programmes such as the Hospice Friendly Hospitals which improves how hospitals approach all aspects of dying, death and bereavement. Another such example is Nurses for Nightcare which provides valuable nursing care, practical support and reassurance for the person and for their families in their homes.

The IHF is a national charity dedicated to all matters relating to dying, death and bereavement. It receives no core State funding so relies on the public’s support to fund its innovative programmes.”

ENDS.

About LloydsPharmacy

With 94 stores nationwide LloydsPharmacy is Ireland’s largest pharmacy group. With competitive medicine prices, along with a huge range of skincare, beauty and wellbeing products, LloydsPharmacy is one of Ireland’s leading retail pharmacy stores.

LloydsPharmacy employs just under 1,000 colleagues nationwide, each of which embody the values on which LloydsPharmacy was built; Trust, Respect, Inclusiveness; Pioneering and Passionate. LloydsPharmacy colleagues are trained to the highest industry standards delivering quality customer care and advice.

LloydsPharmacy understand that health is more than the opposite of being sick. LloydsPharmacy has a goal to engage customers one by one to enhance their healthcare experience regardless of lifestyle or life cycle. LloydsPharmacy colleagues are committed to achieving a shared vision of a healthier world, where customers in the LloydsPharmacy community can live life to the fullest. For LloydsPharmacy, a healthier life is a happier life.

LloydsPharmacy is part of Celesio AG. McKesson Corporation, San Francisco, USA, is the majority shareholder in Celesio AG. The company acquired more than 75 percent of Celesio AG shares in February 2014. McKesson provides solutions that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services.

About Irish Hospice Foundation

The Irish Hospice Foundation is a national charity working for better end-of-life care everywhere. Fundamental to our work is the belief that people have the right to die with respect and dignity. Our programmes bring hospice care and principles to people where they are – in their local communities, their local hospital, residential facility or the family home. We also spend resources on up-skilling existing health-care professionals so they can provide the best quality care.

2016 marks a very special year for us, as we reach our 30th year. We have expanded over three decades to incorporate all matters of dying, death and bereavement. We have a range of programmes for adults, children and families reaching every county of Ireland.