30.05.12
Hospices to bid for £60m funding
£60m funding has been announced for hospices to improve care for people near the end of their lives. Care minister Paul Burstow launched the fund to enhance hospice environments and support people in their own homes.
Hospices can apply for funding for projects which deliver improvements that directly benefit patients, have a tangible impact on the physical environment and demonstrate value for money.
Improvements could include day therapy facilities, developing or extending outreach services, refurbishments to bedrooms, bathrooms and gardens and improved mortuary and bereavement facilities.
Burstow said: “Our surroundings at the end of our lives play a critical role in our wellbeing. This money will help hospices all over the country make improvements such as redesigning rooms or putting in place facilities to help people remain independent.
“We are making this investment because we want hospices to be able to 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 the charity Help the Hospices, told the Nursing Times: “In these challenging times, investment in hospices is vital so they can modernise and expand in order to meet the growing needs of the communities they serve.
“This new grant programme will make a huge difference to the quality of care that hospices provide to people with terminal and life-limiting illnesses at home and in hospices.”
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