A NEWLY refurbished inpatient unit at Barnsley Hospice costing £500,000 has been opened by Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis.
The unit was opened last Thursday and has transformed patient bedrooms to a luxury standard to enable patients and their families to 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 relaxing environment for patients and to allow nurses to deliver the best possible standards of patient care.
Mr 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.”
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.
The money to fund the inpatient unit from 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.”
