The NMSF is
still a young charity. It was established in 1990 for the relief of suffering
and sickness in respect of Freemasons, their wives, children or dependants, or
the widows, children or dependants of deceased Freemasons.
The interests
and needs of each applicant will be paramount in determining how and where
relief will be granted.The terms of the
Trust Deed under which the Fund is required to operate require that relief can
only be provided to applicants who demonstrate that the cost of private
healthcare would be a financial burden and, who are otherwise unable to obtain
treatment on the National Health Service without undue delay.
To date, the
Fund has supported treatment for over 6,500 individuals ranging in age from 18
months to 104 years. This involved allocating grants totalling over £30
million. Whilst many of the conditions funded via the NMSF may be associated
with advancing years - hip and knee joint replacements, cataracts and prostate
problems - funding can be available for everything from scans to major heart
surgery. Although painful and often distressing, such complaints are not life
threatening and often involve a long wait on the NHS. The Fund will not provide
support in emergency or life threatening cases where the NHS will deal with it
promptly and efficiently.
Applicants do
not need to be financially destitute to qualify for assistance. In establishing
the financial need we will take account of both income and capital but will not
include the value of your home. Allowances are made for certain items of
expenditure and for reasonable savings.
Some applicants may be asked to make a contribution towards the overall cost of
treatment. Once an application is accepted, the interests of the patient will
be paramount and the required treatment will be obtained at whichever hospital
is the most appropriate and, if possible, near to where the patient lives.
'Prior to
treatment my hips were spontaneously dislocating and it was taking me 15
minutes to get out of a chair. This evening I walked up the stairs in my house,
one step at a time, using both legs alternately, albeit slowly but this is
something I have not been able to do for over 5 years.'
PRESIDENT’S REVIEW
This is a demand-led charity, and the continuing apparent good performance of the National Health
Service in reducing waiting times has meant that the call on the Fund’s
services has not been as great as had been anticipated. As a result,
petitions expenditure has remained at roughly the 2005 level in a year when it had been hoped to see significant growth. It remains the view of the Board, however, that there are significant unmet needs within the Masonic community, mainly because the work of the Fund remains not sufficiently well understood, in spite of increased advertising. The Board has therefore decided to appoint a Development Director, whose role will be to increase awareness among the Craft of what the Fund has to offer by working with the Chief Executive to identify and meet the long term needs of the membership and ensure that no potential applicant misses out on our help because of a lack of knowledge. Assistance with Respite Care was given to 23 applicants during the year. The sums of money involved are relatively small, but the benefit to those with long-term illnesses and their carers is considerable. In conclusion, I am very grateful to all those who continue to give so generously to the Fund. Their
support is vital if we are to continue to meet the demand for help from
those who are sick and in need.Their gratitude is beyond words. I am
also most grateful to the members of the Board of Management who give
so freely of their time and to our dedicated and hard working staff for
all they do to help those less fortunate than ourselves. N. Lloyd-Edwards President 12 December 2006
WHERE YOUR DONATIONS HAVE BEEN USED 2005/2006
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