After four busy and productive years, our volunteer Administrator, Katharine Stansfeld has resigned from the role. Katherine has kept the Trust running smoothly and has modernised many aspects of the function.

Since its inception, the Trust has never had paid employees, and we are hopeful of once again finding someone to take on the day-to-day running of the charity on a voluntary basis.

One of the young residents of the Home had been suffering constant pain from a pelvic displacement and, in June of this year, the local Committee successfully arranged for her to have surgery to implant a prosthesis to improve her condition. The prosthesis was donated by a local public hospital and, in the absence in Piura of anyone able to carry out the operation, a surgeon from Lima performed the surgery on a voluntary basis. This gives an indication of how highly the Home is regarded in Peru.

The local Committee at the has been dealing with some difficult staffing issues, including the review of the employment status of the nurses mentioned in my last post. They are being advised, throughout this process, by local lawyers who are also giving their time voluntarily.

Despite being a not-for-profit organisation, it has been determined that the Home must follow the labour regulations applying to private businesses, including setting a 36-hour week for the nurse technicians who are considered as health care professionals, rather than the 48 hours they have been working.  Some retrospective overtime and holiday pay has been paid to the affected staff. The Committee was able to do this out of local reserves.

For the future, the shorter working hours will require an increase in staff numbers. The Committee is also planning to appoint a Coordinator of the nursing staff with a view to achieving better productivity of the teams whilst maintaining the quality of the care and therapy that they provide.