Hospices receive over £900,000 funding boost
Press release published
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Marie Curie has been awarded £942,724 to fund major redesign and refurbishment projects at three of the charity’s hospices, as part of a £60 million government funding boost for hospices across England announced by the Department of Health today. Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end-of-life-care charity and provides free nursing care to people with life-limiting illnesses, either in the community or in one of the charity’s nine hospices. The charity has received grants for three of its hospices in Hampstead, Bradford and Newcastle. Imelda Redmond CBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Marie Curie commented: "We welcome this additional funding to help ensure people at the end of their life receive the best care possible. Hospices play a critical role in this, as well as co-ordinated community and social care. The money awarded to Marie Curie will be spent on improving the experience of patients and their families in our hospices." The grant awards to Marie Curie Cancer Care include: Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead - £412,826 The charity will carry out a complete redesign of the Day Therapy Unit. The area will be redeveloped, and the gym upgraded. A high level terrace garden will be developed on an existing balcony, and a long, dark corridor transformed into a well-lit indoor street. Marie Curie Hospice, Bradford - £300,391 The in-patient rooms and adjoining conservatory at the hospice will be redesigned to provide improved facilities and a more comfortable environment for patients and their visitors. The project will incorporate an innovative way of improving the airflow in the rooms all year round. Ensuite facilities will also be refurbished. Marie Curie Hospice, Newcastle - £229,507 A major extension to the dining facilities will provide a garden cafe for patients and their families. This will allow family and friends visiting patients the opportunity to buy a hot meal or a snack without leaving the hospice. The environment will be enhanced with plants, water features and coloured glass. -ENDS- |
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Department of Health Press Release - "Hospices receive £60 million funding boost"
Marie Curie is one of the UK’s largest charities. Employing more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, it provided care to more than 35,000 terminally ill patients in the community and in its nine hospices last year and is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS.
Funding
Around 70 per cent of the charity’s income comes from the generous support of thousands of individuals, membership organisations and businesses, with the balance of our funds coming from the NHS.
Marie Curie Nurses
The charity is best known for its network of Marie Curie Nurses working in the community to provide end of life care, totally free for patients in their own homes.
Research
The charity provides core funding for three palliative care research facilities; the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit at University College London, the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute Liverpool and the Marie Curie Palliative Care Centre at the Wales Cancer Trials Unit (Cardiff University). The charity also supports palliative and end of life care research through its project grant funding streams, the Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Programme (administered by Cancer Research UK) and the Dimbleby Marie Curie Cancer Care Research Fund. Both research programmes aims to tackle the funding and knowledge gap in palliative and end of life care research, which in turn will benefit patients, families and carers.
The right to die in place of choice
Research shows around 63 per cent of people would like to die at home if they had a terminal illness, with a sizeable minority opting for hospice care. However, more than 50 per cent of cancer deaths still occur in hospital, the place people say they would least like to be. Since 2004 Marie Curie Cancer Care has been campaigning for more patients to be able to make the choice to be cared for and die in their place of choice.
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- Hospices