A Greenwich woman whose husband celebrated his last Christmas at the Community Hospice has backed the charity’s plans to upgrade their ward.
The hospice is asking people for a Christmas gift this year towards this once-in-a-generation inpatient-unit upgrade.
They are trying to raise £400,000 to upgrade their outdated specialist inpatient unit so it can better meet the needs of patients with beautiful private spaces. They want the furnishings and environment to reflect the same high standard of excellent care which is provided by the staff and volunteers.
The Community Hospice supports around 3,000 people living with a life-limiting condition across Greenwich and Bexley each year, of which almost 400 people spend time on the wards.
Sue Free, 77, from Charlton, and her husband Jim celebrated their last Christmas together after he was admitted to the hospice in Christmas 2019, around 20 months after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Aged 72, he died on 28 December 2019.
Sue says: “Once Jim was admitted, everything was looked after for us – the doctor on duty even stayed after their shift had ended to welcome Jim in. There was a distinct difference to Jim at home where he’d been agitated and not himself, to when he got to the hospice. There he relaxed, which meant I could relax too. He knew he was supported.”
She adds: “He had a private room with an ensuite bathroom. The space gave us the ability to spend time together, listen to music, and not have to think about other people around us. We were able to have private time whilst knowing there were people there to do the things I couldn’t do, and to give him the best care possible.
“Dying isn’t a nice thing to face. But the hospice gave both of us the best experience we could have had, and I just want other people to be able to have the same. If I won the lottery, I’d give it all to the hospice’s ward refurbishment project for that reason.”
As part of the plans, the hospice will transform their existing shared bays into private, ensuite bedrooms giving all patients and families dignity, privacy and independence.
All of the new rooms will bring patients and families closer to nature, from beds by the window to direct access to gardens, and will have smart technology installed so that patients can control their environment even if they are in bed.
At the end of this work, the hospice will also have a new dedicated space for staff to ensure they can take a moment and have some space when they need it.
The renovation opportunity comes after government funding, ringfenced for capital spending, means the hospice has around £440,000 to invest in the works. The hospice must spend the money before the end of March 2026 but needs around another £400,000 to deliver the upgrades.
Kate Heaps, Chief Executive of Community Hospice, says: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to upgrade our spaces so we can better meet the needs of our wonderfully diverse community and allow more families to spend quality time with their loved ones.”
“Our in-patient unit is showing its age. Shared bays, outdated furnishings, and cramped staff facilities don’t reflect the standard of care that we deliver. Our in-patient team are expert at providing compassionate care for the people whose needs are most complex, and we want our environment to match that level of excellence.
“We’re asking our generous and dedicated community to back these plans with a gift this Christmas to help us continue to care for those people who need us.”
Expanding on her experience of being supported by Community Hospice, Sue says: “Having our own space meant our Goddaughter could visit freely, and that I could be comfortable too – I could put my PJs on, use the loo nearby, and get in the recliner to sleep next to Jim. I can’t imagine what it would have been like not to have that privacy.”
She adds: “On the day Jim died the staff came in at 6am and washed him and made him comfortable. I went back to sleep next to him and when I woke up, he’d gone. The nurses talked me through everything and gave me a cup of tea and some breakfast – they cared for me as well as Jim throughout. They explained there was no rush for me to leave, I could stay as long as I wanted, and so I got to spend a little more time with him.”
To back Community Hospice’s ‘Feel Like Home’ ward refurb, please donate here: https://bit.ly/back-the-ward-refurb
