Highland Hospice set to undergo £7m upgrade
AMBITIOUS £7 million plans have been revealed to upgrade Highland Hospice in Inverness.
The charity proposes to demolish and rebuild part of its headquarters beside Ness House in Bishop’s Road to upgrade bedrooms and provide improved facilities.
Patients will be relocated while building work is carried out and the new premises could be open within four years.
The scheme coincides with the 25th anniversary year of the charity, which provides specialist palliative care to more than 250 patients across the region each year.
A major fund-raising campaign will be launched next spring and the public asked to donate towards the development from April 2014. It is also intended to seek money from the hospice’s own reserves and charitable trusts.
The changes follow an inspection by Healthcare Improvement Scotland in July which gave the charity high marks for everything apart from the building.
Inspectors praised the cleanliness and management of the in-patient unit, but raised concerns over the size of the rooms and recommended changes.
Hospice officials acknowledge the existing bedrooms — four single bedrooms and two shared bedrooms, which can each house up to six patients — do not meet modern space standards.
Although it has an average of eight patients per day, it is able to cater for 10.
The new facilities will still house up to 10 patients, but it will have nine single bedrooms and one shared bedroom, for up to three patients.
"This is an exciting time for everyone involved with Highland Hospice," said Kenny Steele, the charity’s chief executive. "We have been celebrating our 25th anniversary throughout 2012, a very special milestone for us all, and this base in Inverness has become renowned for providing specialist care.
"However, in celebrating this anniversary, it highlights the age of the building and the need to develop to ensure that in future we continue to have premises which fully support us in meeting the needs of our patients and all users of the vital services we provide."
The hospice has more than 130 full and part time staff and is set to hire more people during the fund-raising drive. Work on the new building is unlikely to start until April 2015 and would take 12 months to complete.
No changes are planned to the listed Ness House, where office staff will remain throughout the work.
Hospice officials are seeking a temporary base for its in-patients and nursing staff, with Invergordon’s County Community Hospital under consideration along with a number of other sites.
Areas for day service patients will be redesigned and there will be a quiet sanctuary room and increased physiotherapy, occupational therapy and bereavement support facilities.
There will also be much-needed family accommodation for relatives and infrastructure needed to support the growth of a "virtual hospice" to communicate with patients in more remote parts of the region and enable them to be cared for at home.
"We are at a very early stage of this project and I am sure the next few years will be challenging," Mr Steele said. "But we are all determined to ensure it’s successful so our patients and their families have a physical environment which allows us to continue the high standard of care currently given by our dedicated team."
