Friends of the Sick, also known by its Hebrew name Chevrat Bikkur Cholim, has announced that it is to close at the end of January.
The charity's trustees said the decision had been made “reluctantly”, after concluding that it could no longer operate independently on a sustainable basis.
They said its remaining assets would be transferred to Jewish Care, which would provide a more effective way of continuing to support those in need.
In a statement on their website, Friends of the Sick wrote: “The trustees [of Friends of the Sick] carefully considered a range of options before concluding that winding down Friends of the Sick as an independent organisation and transferring its remaining assets to Jewish Care offered the best solution. Jewish Care was chosen because of the two charities’ longstanding relationship, shared values and compatible charitable purposes.”
They added that the two charities had worked closely together for many years, with Jewish Care making the majority of client referrals.
Founded in 1947, before the establishment of the NHS, Friends of the Sick has spent nearly eight decades providing practical and emotional assistance to members of the Jewish community across London.
Its work initially included helping women before and after childbirth, visiting patients in hospital and arranging nursing support for people returning home following treatment.
Over the years, its services evolved to focus increasingly on people who were unwell, elderly, isolated or experiencing loneliness, with support workers visiting clients in their own homes to provide companionship and practical assistance.
The organisation was led for many years by the late Dr Arnold Oppenheimer, who helped establish its place within London's Jewish communal infrastructure.
However, the charity has faced growing difficulties in recent years, particularly following the Covid pandemic and changes to regulations governing care providers.
As a small charity, leaders said it hadn’t been feasible for them to register with the Care Quality Commission as a domiciliary care agency, meaning its workers could no longer provide personal care involving physical contact during home visits. This included assistance with everyday activities, such as washing and dressing. This led to a substantial reduction in demand, with client figures and support hours falling to less than a third of their pre-pandemic levels.
Friends of the Sick has served our community with extraordinary compassion over many years. We are honoured to carry forward [its] spirit and values
Simon Sackman, president of Friends of the Sick, said: “The trustees are profoundly grateful to all the dedicated staff and generous donors who have sustained Friends of the Sick over the years. The decision to close has been deeply difficult, but the trustees’ responsibility is to ensure that the charity’s objectives continue to be advanced in the most effective and sustainable way.
“We believe that the resources available to Jewish Care and the values it upholds will best enable those objectives to be achieved.”
Under the new arrangements, Jewish Care's social work and community support team will contact every existing Friends of the Sick client and offer an individual assessment to establish what assistance they may need and what support can be made available following the closure.
Jewish Care supports almost 3,000 people each year through its social work and community support team. Friends of the Sick’s remaining assets will be ringfenced to help fund the team's work.
They receive no government funding and rely entirely on voluntary donations to continue operating.
Daniel Carmel-Brown, chief executive of Jewish Care, said the organisation recognised the importance of Friends of the Sick's contribution and was committed to ensuring its legacy continued.
“Friends of the Sick has served our community with extraordinary compassion over many years. We are honoured to carry forward [its] spirit and values, ensuring that its legacy continues to benefit both existing clients and future generations.
“We will work closely with its trustees to support an orderly transition and help ensure that every client is treated with dignity and care. Looking ahead, this generous transfer will strengthen our social work and community support team’s ability to be there for people across our community when they need help most.”
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