South West Hospices to receive share of £60m funding boost

Hospices across England providing end of life care for children and adults have been awarded a share of £60 million government funding to improve care environments and settings.

A total of 176 hospices will benefit from the fund, which will be used to invest in creating new spaces for patients, their families and carers, whilst also supporting the care hospices provide to people in their own homes.

Successful initiatives awarded funding in the South West include:

• £509,592 for a new day care unit building at Hospicare in Exeter

• £45,444 for improving access and landscaping of the grounds at North Devon Hospice

• £184,473 for landscaping of the grounds at Rowcroft Torbay & South Devon Hospice

• £463,751 for refurbishment of the inpatient unit at St Luke's Hospice in Plymouth

Announcing the successful projects at St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “Hospices help patients and their families at what can be the most difficult part of their life.

“This extra funding will help bring hospices up to date, so staff and volunteers can work in modern environments, helping them continue to provide wonderful support with compassion and kindness.

“And patients will see a huge difference in their surroundings that play a considerable part in helping them psychologically and physically.”

Run in partnership with the charity Help the Hospices, the funding was made available to projects delivering improvements that directly benefit patients, have a tangible impact on the physical environment and provide value for money.

This fund builds upon the successful outcomes from the £40million scheme run in 2010/11, but will be available to all children’s as well as adults hospices.

Care and Support Minister, Norman Lamb said: “Every one of us has the right to the best quality of care at the end of our lives - hospices play an integral role in helping to deliver this.

“This fund will help hospices provide dignified, compassionate, high quality care and support to people and their families at what is a difficult time in their lives.”

David Praill, Chief Executive of Help the Hospices, said: “Investment in hospices is vital so they can continue to innovate, modernise and expand in order to meet the growing needs of the communities they serve.

“Currently, too many people do not get the care they want or need and the numbers needing care continue to increase. Together, we face the challenge to ensure that people receive the best possible care at the end of life, irrespective of where they choose to be cared for, where they live or what condition they have. This funding will make a huge difference to the quality, dignity and compassion of the care provided.”

The funding was committed as part of the Department of Health’s strategy to provide high quality care for all adults approaching the end of their life, launched in July 2008.