Peterborough: Thorpe Hall Appeal

27 March 2013, 06:00

Sue Ryder has launched a £6 million appeal to fund a new state-of-the-art hospice in the grounds of its existing Thorpe Hall building in Peterborough.

The appeal is officially launched by appeal patron, HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, today (Tuesday).

Sue Ryder currently provides care to around 1,500 patients a year from the Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Norfolk areas.

However, the charity has been unable to make modifications to its existing Thorpe Hall hospice because it is a Grade 1 listed building.

Palliative Care Services Manager at Sue Ryder –Thorpe Hall Hospice Philip Ball said: "Thorpe Hall is a magnificent building but it is no longer fit for purpose. Currently, the 20 beds we provide are shared between 8 rooms over two floors. 

Sharing a room and the resulting lack of privacy can have a negative impact on people and their families.  

Also, in shared rooms if one person has an infection all the other beds in the room have to be closed.

The new hospice will complement the existing building and provide 20 single en-suite bedrooms on the ground floor with direct access to the gardens.  

This will enable us to provide personalised care for more people, and offer the very best environment for people and their families during what can be an extremely difficult time. 

The new hospice will also include a new community hospice service."

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester, commented:"As Patron of the Sue Ryder – Thorpe Hall Hospice Appeal, I am delighted to support this very important plea for a new state-of-the art hospice at Thorpe Hall. 

I believe we have an obligation to make sure that patients, who are reaching the end of their lives, receive all the comfort and support that they may need. 

In this new Hospice the dedicated team of doctors and nurses will be able to provide the very highest standard of end of life care in the very best environment."

To get involved and help raise £6million to fund build a new hospice in your region, you can contact 01733 330060, email anewthorpehall@sueryder.org or visit www.thorpehall.org

Sue Ryder's Shopping list to help raise the £6million needed to build a new Thorpe Hall hospice in Peterborough: 

• £5 could pay for food for a day for one of our patients, providing them with the nutrients they need to stay well for as long as possible. 
• £7.50 could provide a stress-relieving complementary therapy session for someone with cancer. 
• £12.90 could pay for a half hour physiotherapy session for someone with multiple sclerosis, helping them increase their mobility and independence, vastly improving their quality of life.
• £19.64 could provide bereavement counselling for someone struggling to cope with the loss of a loved one. 
• £100 could pay for an alarm system so that patients can alert nursing staff if they feel something is wrong; enabling them to be by their side as quickly as possible 
• £500 could pay for a reclining chair for a patient?s room, allowing loved ones to stay comfortably close by, in case they need or want to spend the night.
• £750 could buy a syringe driver, enabling a cancer patient to effectively manage their own pain independently. 
• £1,000 could pay to furnish and decorate our new relatives? room ? a comfortable and homely area for families to rest and recuperate.
• £5,000 could pay for a full time nurse for 2 months (based on average salary). 
• £25,000 would ensure that all the hospice's facilities are accessible to everyone, including a lift so that all patients can travel safely to therapy sessions and day hospice services in the main building.