£3 million investment safeguards patient care at Severn Hospice in Shrewsbury
Care for patients at Severn Hospice in Shrewsbury has been 'future-proofed for decades' following completion of a major £3 million modernisation and improvement project.
The Perry Ward at the charity's Bicton base is set to reopen after a year-long construction programme that has seen the building extended, patient rooms enlarged, a brand-new roof installed, and plumbing and electrics upgraded.
Severn Hospice Chief Executive Heather Tudor said: "This has been one of our biggest projects and the single largest investment on the ward since it was built more than 35 years ago. The result means we have future-proofed patient care for decades."
As well as extensive work to the fabric of the building and its infrastructure, the project completely transformed the caring and visitor spaces of the ward.
Patient rooms are larger - to accommodate their aids and any hospice equipment - and have lost their 'clinical' look entirely. Each room has en-suite facilities, opens onto the gardens and has a smart TV and smart speaker to enhance patient comfort.
Visitors who want to stay overnight will be able to use sofa beds in patient rooms and there is a self-contained guest apartment for loved ones if needed. A new extension - to be known as the Bradbury Wing in recognition of the trust’s continued support over more than three decades - has created a brighter, larger, more welcoming space for families and patient visitors.
Even the décor has been carefully considered - earth tones and nature-themed - to create a more calming and peaceful environment. A giant mural, designed by the hospice's in-house creative team, sets the scene, depicting the hospice gardens and its wildlife visitors - including a neighbour's cat!
Heather said: "Our vision was to create a home from home for people staying with us. Our ward patients are our most poorly patients and we want them to be cared for in a space that reflects our expert clinical and compassionate care. We know that it is all these small-but-meaningful touches that add up to make hospice care so special.
She added: "We couldn't have done any of this without the wonderful help of our supporters. The community has been so kind and generous towards us with this project and we can't thank them enough.
"Every patient who needs our ward care will benefit from every £1 we received in donations for our Perry appeal. The response has been just fabulous," she added.
The hospice has funded the project through a combination of allocating reserves, its Pounds for Perry appeal to the community, trusts and foundations and a one-off government contribution. The new extension – crucial to make way for the larger patient rooms – was only possible with the generous contribution of the Bradbury Foundation, Hong Kong.
Heather added: "It will be a very special moment for everyone here when the ward reopens at the start of June and we are able to welcome patients once more. Perry Ward has been providing amazing care for local families for more than three decades and I am so proud to know that it will now continue that tradition well into the future."
