Cash boost for palliative care (From Penarth Times)

Cash boost for palliative care

A PENARTH hospice is set to benefit from an injection of Lottery funds to further improve their care and patient environment.

Marie Curie hospice Holme Tower on Bridgeman Road will receive £283,516 of Lottery cash which is part of £3.5 million for palliative care in Wales.

John McFarlane, Business Development Manager of the Hospice, said: "We are delighted with the New Opportunities Fund grant and grateful for their support in this project which will allow us to make significant improvements to access and facilities.

"The money will be used to provide facilities for families to stay overnight at the Centre, as well as for families who have long distances to travel or those spending long periods of time at the Centre," he added.

"The scheme will also provide an area for young children making the Centre more child friendly as well as providing areas in which Child Bereavement Counselling can take place."

Jane Hutt AM, Welsh Assembly Minister for Health, welcomed the award.

She said: "This is wonderful news for both the providers of palliative care in Wales and patients who benefit from the services given to them.

"There are some wonderful palliative care settings in Wales and this funding will help to ensure that they can continue to help patients and their families."

Dr Sue Closs, Chair of the Wales Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Services, commented: "We are delighted that the Fund has made this money available to palliative care services in Wales.

The application process has been quick and has proved very helpful in successfully gaining funding."

Ceri Doyle, Director of the Lottery New Opportunities Fund in Wales, explains how the funding will make a difference: "Our funding will help to strengthen the existing services by contributing capital costs towards the improvement of palliative care environments."