8th January 2010

KILBRYDE HOSPICE TAKES
HISTORIC STEP FORWARD

The Kilbryde Hospice Appeal has taken a major step forward following the identification by NHS Lanarkshire of an available site at Hairmyres Hospital.

The NHS Lanarkshire Board approved the availability of two acres of land on the east side of the hospital at its December 2009 meeting. It marks a historic first step towards creating new palliative care beds for people who are facing end-of-life illness.

Back frow (from left): Kilbryde Hospice Director Ian Stewart, Adam Ingram MP, Kilbryde Hospice sponsor Lynn Mortimer, Kilbryde Hospice Director Donna Bannatyne, Gretta McGuinness, Kilbryde Hospice Director Gordon McHugh, NHS Lanarkshire Chief Executive Tim Davison, Kilbryde Hospice Director Brian Sweeney, Andy Kerr MSP, NHS Lanarkshire Director for Strategic Implementation, Planning and Performance Ian Ross. Front row: Kilbryde Hospice Chairman Tony McGuinness.

The Kilbryde Hospice Appeal is working with NHS Lanarkshire on a business case for the development of palliative care services, which would be provided at the new hospice building. Formal approval to lease the land to the Kilbryde Hospice Appeal will be sought from the NHS Lanarkshire Board as part of the approval process for the business case.

Following approval of the business case work on the new hospice can begin. Services currently provided at the Kilbryde Hospice Red Deer Drop-In Centre in East Kilbride would transfer to the new building once the first phase of the development is complete.

The new Kilbryde Hospice building would offer patients and their relatives a high-quality environment that would be specially designed to meet the needs of patients requiring end-of-life care and would include a purpose-built enhanced day centre and drop-in service. The building would also include six new palliative care beds. Over time these would be developed to provide specialist palliative inpatient services.

Tony McGuinness, Chairman of the Kilbryde Hospice Appeal said: "We are delighted to have reached agreement with NHS Lanarkshire on the siting of the new Kilbryde Hospice on a 2 acre site at Hairmyres.

I would like to thank all the volunteers and friends of Kilbryde Hospice for their invaluable assistance in reaching this historic milestone. As we enter this exciting new phase in our development I would ask for your continued support in the challenges ahead as we turn our dream into a reality."

Ken Corsar, Chairman of NHS Lanarkshire said: “We are delighted to be working with the Kilbryde Hospice Appeal to develop new palliative care services. Together we can make a real difference to the quality of life for people facing life-threatening and end-of-life illness. The Red Deer Drop-In Centre has been a real success story since opening in 2008. Now, the identification of land at Hairmyres for a new hospice building marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for palliative care services in the area.”

Artist's impression for the new Hospice building...