The Brain Tumour Charity plans to make 15 staff redundant, as it deals with projected losses of nearly £5m caused by Covid-19.
This is in addition to 15 vacant roles which the charity says it does not plan to fill, and four redundancies already made this year.
The Brain Tumour Charity currently has 100 staff, according to a spokesperson. It plans to make “significant use” of government schemes set up during the coronavirus crisis to protect against further job losses.
Falling research spending
The charity said in a statement that it expects to see income drop by 40% this year, after the pandemic forced the organisation to curtail many of its fundraising activities.
This will mean a loss of £4.8m compared to last year, with the charity anticipating a long-term financial impact from future waves of the coronavirus.
The charity currently funds £37m in medical research. It has warned that this spending may fall by £5.5m over the next five years.
No letting up
Sarah Lindsell, the chief executive of the Brain Tumour Charity, said in a statement: “With a second wave now upon us, these impacts may unfortunately continue into the longer-term.
“We came into 2020 in a robust financial position, and this has been invaluable in helping us maintain our commitments this year, including our research.
“But despite significant steps to reduce our costs, including placing over a quarter of our staff on furlough and taking the incredibly difficult decision to cancel our next two research grant rounds, the impacts of the pandemic are not yet letting up.”
‘Absolutely gutted’
She continued: “I cannot stress how sad we are to need to take these steps, and how much we wish there was an alternative.
“We are absolutely gutted that we are going to lose some really talented and valued members of the team, and that we are having to put many more through such a time of uncertainty.
“But, for everyone affected by a brain tumour, we need to ensure we can keep investing in cutting-edge research, in providing trusted information and support and in enabling the change our community so desperately needs to see.”
No time to mourn
The charity said that, during the first wave of the pandemic, the number of people being referred to a specialist to examine critical symptoms of a brain tumour fell by 60%. There was also a “major increase” in waiting times for MRI scans.
The Brain Tumour Charity said that its coronavirus information hub has been accessed 70,000 times.
Lindsell said: “We cannot spend time mourning the shape and size of the charity we thought we were going to be in 2021, because progress and hope are needed now more than ever.”
Related articles
