The Pituitary Foundation will reduce salaried staff hours by 20% as part of measures to cut costs during the coronavirus crisis.
In an announcement on its website yesterday, the charity said it is expecting a £120,000 shortfall – nearly 30% of its income – over the next six months. It is prioritising core patient support services.
Menai Owen-Jones, chief executive of the Pituitary Foundation, said: “The past couple of months have been turbulent for so many of us. As things stand, the uncertainty and challenges are set to last for some time to come.”
All 10 staff will see the same 20% reduction in salaried hours from 1 June. No staff have been placed on furlough and a spokesperson for the charity told Civil Society News that it would not be able to manage having one or more people on leave.
‘Slightly reduced helpline hours’
The foundation is also slightly reducing the opening hours for one of its helplines.
Owen-Jones wrote: “We are prioritising the core patient support services of the charity and this means we will still run our Patient Support Helpline as normal, although our Endocrine Nurse Helpline will run on slightly reduced hours.”
Usually its Endocrine Nurse Helpline is open between 9.30am and 1.30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 10am and 2pm on Tuesdays.
From Monday it will be open from 10am until 1pm on Mondays, 10am to 1.30pm on Tuesdays, and from 9.30am until 12.30pm on Wednesdays.
Its Patient Support & Information Services helpline remains open between 10am and 4pm on weekdays.
‘The outlook would be much bleaker right now without everyone’s support’
To recover some of the expected funding shortfall, the foundation has launched a digital campaign called 500 Faces. It is asking 500 people to donate or raise £100, and displaying pictures of them on a dedicated website.
In eight weeks the campaign has raised £35,500.
Owen-Jones said of the response from the charity’s supporters: “I am grateful to everyone for all contributions. The outlook would be much bleaker right now without everyone’s support to date.”
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