Ellenor Lions Hospices have been very fortunate to be awarded some funding from the Department of Health following a successful bid to their ‘Dignity in Care’ programme. The Ellenor used its funds to refurbish the Ellenor Centre for day patients; the result has been a resounding success in terms of improving the experience for our patients. “The lounge is stupendous and the reception area is very patient friendly especially with the automatic doors, in fact, everything is geared to patient’s needs” explained Joe an Ellenor patient. The Lions Hospice project is a more complex refurbishment, which includes the creation of three new en suite rooms. The key emphasis of the project is dignity and privacy for all our patients. Although all the three rooms will be used to care for predominantly older people, one of the rooms will also provide state of the art facilities for young patients with complex care needs. These young people have a broad range of diseases and disorders that cause severe physical disabilities, which require intensive long-term care. As treatment advances, the number of these young people surviving into adulthood is increasing. The Ellenor has been at the forefront of providing hospice care for these young people within the community but when hospice admission is required there are no facilities within a hundred miles for those with complex care needs, a huge distance to travel when unwell. Work commenced at the start of the year on the three new bedrooms and we anticipate completion of the first phase to a watertight shell by May. To complete the next phase of work we need to raise £200,000 for fitting out (plastering, electrics, plumbing, etc) and specialist medical equipment & furniture. Would you like to be part of this important development? We would love to have you on board. Any contribution towards this target will help tremendously to improve facilities for our patients. If you feel that you could contribute in any way we would be delighted. If you would like a tour around the hospice to see the project first hand, or you require any other information, please do not hesitate to contact me.