WALSALL’S NEW PALLIATIVE CARE CENTRE IS HANDED OVER 

Building work has been completed on Walsall’s new Palliative Care Centre which will deliver high-quality medical and nursing care for local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as offering support for their families and helpers.

NHS Walsall and St Giles Walsall Hospice are now preparing for the transfer of services into the £5.5 million centre at Goscote, which is the first facility of its kind in Walsall and will provide care and support services for a wide range of patients and their carers from across the community.

 

The development has been delivered through a public private partnership with Wolverhampton & Walsall LIFTCo established under the LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust) initiative.

THE Palliative Care Centre was the first NHS building in the UK to achieve a design stage “Excellent” rating under the BRE Environmental Assessment Method created to encourage the highest standards of green design, construction and building management. 

 

Following the handover of the centre to NHS Walsall by construction firm Ashley House plc, the next stage of the development is to install medical equipment and furnishings, before the phased transfer of patient services into the new facility, which is due to begin next month.

 

Services include 12 inpatient beds, which are being run in partnership with the St Giles Hospice charity.

 

Chairman of NHS Walsall, Dr Geoff Archenhold, said:  “The people of Walsall have been waiting a long time for this centre, which will herald a huge and long-awaited improvement in the services available locally to patients nearing the end of their lives.

“Everyone involved in the project is hugely excited to be entering the final phase of the development, and we are now just a few weeks away from welcoming the first patients and their carers to the Palliative care Centre.”

 

Robert Mackie, interim Chief Executive of NHS Walsall added: “The services and facilities will make a real difference to our patients.  Many of our staff have been involved in the Palliative Care Centre project for several years.  They are delighted that all their hard work, and the efforts of all our local supporters, are now paying off and they are eager to start moving in.”

 

Peter Holliday, Chief Executive of St Giles Walsall Hospice, said: “St Giles has been providing caring services for people in Walsall for more than 20 years, and we are now looking forward to enhancing this provision with 12 in-patient beds at the new St Giles Walsall Hospice.

 

“It is down to the commitment and hard work of the Walsall community that this dedicated facility has been completed for the benefit of local people with cancer and other serious illnesses, and we are now equipping the new rooms ready for the arrival of our first patients.”

 

Jonathan Holmes, Chief Executive Officer, Ashley House plc added: “Ashley House are privileged to have led the design and construction of this important building for the community of Walsall. We have worked closely with NHS Walsall and the users to develop the design and we hope the building fulfils the aspirations of all those involved in the development of the project.”

 

For more information please contact:

Helen Cook, NHS on 01922 618356 or email Helen.cook@walsall.nhs.uk

Notes to editors:

The Palliative Care Centre will house:

·          12 inpatient beds, which are being run in partnership with the St Giles Hospice charity

·          Outpatient Therapies including Blood Transfusions, Palliative Chemotherapy and Day Hospice services

·          Specialist Nursing across a range of disciplines

·          Complementary Therapy services

·          Allied Health and Social Care workers

·          Bereavement, Counselling and Psychology services

·          Information services

·          Training and Development and Voluntary services

 

As part of a successful £100k Arts Council bid, the Goscote development will also include a range of newly commissioned artwork, to include:

·          A 3D centre piece within the internal courtyard of the building

·          A stained glass window to the Spiritual Space

·          A sculpture and land art trail in the grounds of the building including a folly, gazebo and garden

·          A variety of 2D artwork and photographs for display within the building

St Giles Hospice is a registered charity offering high-quality specialist care free of charge for people with cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as providing support for their families and carers.

 

Patients come from across the hospice’s catchment area, which ranges from Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Atherstone in the east, to Cannock and Walsall in the west – and from Burton and Uttoxeter in the north, to Sutton Coldfield and Coleshill in the south. Care is offered at the hospice’s facilities in Sutton Coldfield and Whittington, between Lichfield and Tamworth, or in patients’ own homes across the region.

 

The 12-bed St Giles Walsall Hospice will provide the high-quality care for which St Giles Hospice is renowned, including symptom control, respite, and dedicated round-the-clock care for those who need it the most.

 

St Giles Hospice has been supporting patients and carers in their homes across the Walsall area for 20 years. The opening of St Giles Walsall Hospice is a natural extension of this, and will enhance services for local patients and their families while ensuring care remains free of charge to those who need it, thanks to the community support the charity receives.

 

The total annual running costs of St Giles Walsall Hospice will be £1.6 million and with only half of this amount funded by the NHS in the first year, St Giles Walsall Hospice will work with the local community to raise £800,000 a year, which will be dedicated solely to providing care in Walsall.

 

For more information about St Giles and their fundraising campaign please contact Rob Webb or Abi Manning on 01858 461111

Ashley House is one of the UK’s leading health & social care infrastructure companies, with 20 years experience in delivering projects efficiently and cost effectively. Our approach is based on building active partnerships with our clients and their communities.

This is delivered for:

> Primary and Intermediate Healthcare, NHS LIFT Companies, Community Health and Social Care

We have helped many GPs to develop new healthcare facilities, providing them with a full design and construction service from site finding through feasibility assessment, design, planning, and construction. Ashley House is the development partner in 7 NHS LIFT Companies and as such has developed a close working relationship with the NHS as a strategic partner in delivering a wide range of service and estate strategies.