Victoria Hospice Society

About Victoria Hospice Society:

Founded in 1980, Victoria Hospice Society (VHS) provides end-of-life care focused on palliative treatment. Its mission is to “enhance the quality of life for those facing advancing illness, death and bereavement through skilled and compassionate care, education, research and advocacy.” VHS offers integrated medical care, spiritual support, and bereavement counselling to patients and their families. It offers care in patients’ homes, in its 17-bed in-patient unit, and through medical consultations to patients in other health care facilities. VHS reports that it provides care to 60% of all patients dying from cancer in the Greater Victoria area.

In F2015, Victoria Hospice Society’s Nursing services (making up 45% of spending) admitted 546 patients into its in-patient unit, with 7 beds allocated to acute care, 9 beds allocated to hospice care and 1 bed allocated to respite care. VHS’s Counselling services made up 11% of its spending in F2015. VHS reports that its nurses and counsellors provided 7,464 phone consults to health care professionals, and 1,464 phone consults to patients and families. VHS also reports that 873 registered end-of-life patients died during the year.

Victoria Hospice Society’s Medical services made up 13% of its program spending in F2015. VHS reported that its physicians provided 2,278 phone consults to professionals, patients and families. Further, physicians made 1,442 visits to patients in homes, facilities and hospital wards.

Victoria Hospice Society’s Palliative Response Team (making up 14% of its spending) provides a 24-hour service that made 1,585 home visits in F2015. VHS’s Bereavement services (making up 4% of its spending) helped 3,921 people following the death of a loved one. The remaining 12% of program spending includes VHS’s courses and services, and research and development.

Financial Review:

Victoria Hospice Society is a medium-sized charity, with donations of $3.3m in F2015. Its administrative costs are 12% of revenues and its fundraising costs are 21% of donations. For every $1 donated to the charity, 67 cents is put towards its programs, falling within Ci’s reasonable range. The charity’s funding reserves of $7.5m include donor-endowed funds of $1.9m. This results in a program cost coverage ratio, excluding donor-endowed funds, of 92%. This means that it can cover 11 months of its annual programs using its existing reserves.

This charity report is an update that is being reviewed by Victoria Hospice Society. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 16, 2016 by Lynn Tay.