Rules & Regulations

Life these days is full of rules and regulations which the majority of us try to adhere to.  Each year to keep the doors of our hospices in Romania open, the buildings must pass a series of rigorous fire prevention, health & safety, environmental health and hygiene inspections to gain the certification they need to operate.
St Margaret’s Hospice in Bucharest is a beacon of excellence in the delivery of end of life, palliative and respite care for infants and children living with incurable or terminal illness. With the normal wear and tear of sizzling summers  and bitterly cold winters  the building needs constant attention simply to ensure  the children are safe and secure and the building is  wind and watertight.. This year changes  introducing new European health and safety regulations  and fire safety standards  means that we must immediately relocate  the main and auxiliary gas central heating units,   renew  the  electric wiring and  sockets and to prevent the prospect  of scalds injury change the existing  hot water cylinders and systems for the hospice’s  kitchen  and  children and infant’s wards  bath and showers.

Some of this work would normally be carried out under the annual maintenance budget however most of the changes required as a result of our recent proactive inspections are urgent and immediate to ensure that work is complete before the official annual inspections are carried out. Paul Kubaszky CID’s in Country Director has asked for help and has offered a “shopping" list of urgent actions and their costs which total £18,000.

For that, we will get a zinc roof for the infants ward that should not leak, a more efficient central heating system with fumes vented to air, safe and compliant electrical wiring and sockets, constant scald risk free hot water in the kitchen and children’s bathroom and shower areas and a slip and trip accident free entrance, walkway and access between the wards, therapy units, and offices. By dipping into the hospice’s limited maintenance budget and by tapping local sponsors Paul can find approximately 45% of the costs from local funds, however  he would welcome help and support to fund the remaining £10,000.

Any help that the readers of this blog can offer to secure the registration licences and the future of St Margaret’s Complex of Children Services as a home for the children in its care will more than gratefully appreciated.  If you would like to make a donation, no matter how small, (remember every large ocean is made up of small drops of water) you can do so, online at www.childrenindistress.org  or call +44 (0)141 5595690 to make a card donation.  Every penny really will count to save this hospice which is the only home these children have known -

Jane x

Some of the children at St Margaret's celebrating Andreea's birthday