New rooms for relatives of patients at end-of-life care opens at the Alexandra Hospital

Two rooms where the loved-ones of patients who are nearing the end of life can take a break has opened at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

The Peony rooms provide a quiet and calm space to take a break away from the busy ward environment, rest, reflect and have some refreshments.

The development of the rooms is part of a wider initiative launched by the Palliative and End of life Care team at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust named the SUPPORT initiative which focuses on making relatives and friends experience easier, from providing comfort care packs to dedicated spaces.

On the opening of the rooms, Avril Adams, Lead Nurse Specialist Palliative and End of Life Care team said: “We are delighted to be able to introduce the new rooms at the Alexandra Hospital for the relatives of some of our seriously ill patients.

“Death and dying is very difficult to deal with, but helping patients and those people important to them at their time of greatest need is hugely important to us. 

”Our patients often worry about how their loved ones are coping even when they are receiving treatment and we hope providing holistic care for people most important to them will bring our patients great comfort.”

These are the second and third rooms to open after one at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and came following feedback from Trust ‘Voices of Bereavement’ surveys which highlighted a lack of space for relatives to go to have some time to themselves. 

Sarah Shingler, Chief Nursing Officer at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust added: “Patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do here at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

“This is yet another fantastic example of ways our staff focus on offering the best possible care to our patients and their loved ones.

“Our teams continually look at ways in which our services can be improved that meets the needs of the people of Worcestershire.”

The rooms have opened thanks to support from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity, the dedicated charity of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The team helped to furnish the rooms and provide refreshments for relatives and loved-ones.

Sophie Burt, Head of Fundraising and Community Development for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity, added: “Our charity is committed to providing those added extras that improve the experience for everyone using or providing services.

“We are thrilled that we are able to support such a fantastic project again, which not only focuses on putting patients first but also helps to improve the experience of the people most important to them.

“We would like to thank all of our supporters for their donations, of both money and items, for these projects that make a real difference to our patients.”

More information on how to support the end-of-life care fund can be found at: https://wahcharity.org/the-end-of-life-care-fund