Newly refurbished Inpatient Unit at Barnsley Hospice opened by MP
20 September 2019
The newly refurbished Inpatient Unit at Barnsley Hospice was officially opened by MP and Sheffield City Region Mayor, Dan Jarvis this week (Thursday 19 September).
The £500,000 project to transform patient bedrooms at the hospice followed a successful appeal to raise funds.
Inpatient bedrooms have been upgraded to a luxury standard, helping patients and their families feel comfortable and relaxed during their stay.
Specialist beds, furniture and décor have been installed as part of the transformation, as well as new doors and windows with integral blinds to create a tranquil environment for patients and to allow nurses to deliver the best possible standards of patient care.
MP for Barnsley and Sheffield City Region Mayor, Dan Jarvis, spent time with staff, volunteers and patients during his visit. He said: “I’ve been a huge supporter of Barnsley Hospice for a number of years and, every time I visit, I’m inspired by the dedication of the hard-working staff and volunteers.
“It was a real privilege to open the new unit, which is a great addition to the hospice and provides even better facilities for patients and their families.”
The money to fund the refurbishment project was raised through the hospice’s ‘Comfort and Care Campaign’. Grants from charitable trusts and donations from the Barnsley community were added to a £300,000 donation from the Morrisons Foundation.
Julie Ferry, chief executive of Barnsley Hospice, said: “We’d like to thank everyone in the Barnsley community who raised funds towards our Comfort and Care campaign, and to the businesses and funders for their continued support in making this possible. These refurbishments will make such a difference to the people we care for and their families, helping them to be more comfortable in what can be an extremely difficult time.”
During the ceremony, it was announced the Inpatient Lounge would be renamed ‘The Booker Lounge’ in memory of patrons and supporters Don Booker and his wife Freda. Don was editor of the Barnsley Chronicle at the time the hospice opened in 1994.
Barnsley Hospice provides specialist care for anyone in the borough with a life-limiting progressive illness, including cancer, motor neurone disease and heart disease. As well as ten beds for inpatient care it also provides support through its day therapy unit and offers counselling and complementary therapies to many of its patients and carers too. The hospice needs to raise £2.2m each year, in addition to a £1.6m grant from the NHS CCG.
Notes to editors
Media contact: Charlotte Goldthorpe at Capital B Media on 01226 766900 or at charlotte@capitalbmedia.co.uk
Photograph shows from left to right:
Julie Ferry, chief executive of Barnsley Hospice, Stephen Alliott, Julie Alliott (Don and Freda Booker’s daughter), MP Dan Jarvis & Carole Gibbard Chair of Trustees at Barnsley Hospice.
About Barnsley Hospice
Barnsley Hospice is based on Church Street, S75 2RL. It has been providing care for people in Barnsley with life-limiting illnesses, and their families since 1994, when the day therapy unit opened. The inpatient unit, which has ten bedrooms, opened in 2001.
For more information about Barnsley Hospice go to www.barnsleyhospice.org
This press release was prepared by Capital B Media, a public relations and media training agency based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. For more information, please visit www.capitalbmedia.co.uk.
