ENHANCING THE HEALING ENVIRONMENT

HOSPICE ISLE OF MAN MAKE PLANS TO ENHANCE THE ENVIRONMENT TO MEET CHANGING NEEDS OF COMMUNITY

In October 2018 Hospice Isle of Man launched its new strategy ‘Much More Than A Building’. In that strategy we talked about how our wonderful building will remain at the heart of all that we do, but as we look forward we will be focused on what people have told us matters to them – meeting the changing social needs of our community.

Over the last 12 years since our current home was built, there have been some significant changes in the needs of our patients, along with forthcoming changes to disability regulations which mean we need to adapt our facilities.

 

Over 30% of the people who use Hospice have non-cancer related conditions and this figure is set to increase, over the next five years and beyond as we are committed to delivering care to anyone on the Island living with a condition that is terminal or life limiting.

 

As patient needs become more complex, we must ensure that our care environment is fit for our future patients with a focus on providing greater independence, privacy and dignity.

 

We commenced our ‘Enhancing the Healing Environment’ project in November 2018, with the aim of improving the physical environment for our patients, their families and others who use our services.

 

Initially this project was going to consist of several modular building improvements carried out over an extended period of time. However, after the first of these projects, the Braddan Lounge refurbishment was completed in February, a new approach was proposed.

 

Anne Mills, CEO, Hospice Isle of Man explains:

“We are absolutely committed to keeping our patients at the centre of everything that we do here at Hospice. We are so very fortunate that a generous benefactor has committed to funding a significant capital project that gives us the opportunity to improve the physical environment for our patients, their family and friends.

 

However, during the recent refurbishment of our Braddan Lounge it soon became clear that the disruption caused by the works (mainly the noise) affected the calm environment that is so crucial to the care we provide for our patients and families. This resulted in a stop start approach to the building work which meant the project was significantly extended.

 

Over the last few months our Board of Governors, my colleagues and I have worked through the various options available to make the most of this generous funding, without compromising the excellent quality of patient care that we deliver.

 

A decision has now been made that from June 17th 2019, Hospice Isle of Man and Rebecca House will undergo significant refurbishment works. Meaning that all building work required to future proof our services can be carried out at once. In order to continue to deliver the highest quality of care we will temporarily re-house some of our services during the refurbishment period.

 

Our partners at the Department of Health and Social Care have offered Hospice some of their facilities to temporarily deliver our services from, including a refurbished and dedicated unit at Southlands, from which we will house our adult In-Patient Unit. This is a fantastic opportunity to work in partnership to deliver the Island Plan for Integrated Palliative and End of Life Care.

 

Children and Young People who use Rebecca House will still continue to have some day care and evening care at Hospice with overnight care facilitated at an alternative venue yet to be announced, in order to minimise disruption.

 

There is also an alternative place for children and families who would sadly have to use our Rebecca House Rainbow Room during this period.

 

I would like to assure everyone that all of our services will continue to operate during the refurbishment period and we will share more specific information with everyone affected, as soon as possible. Patients and their families will remain our top priority and regardless of location, we will ensure that we continue to deliver high quality care and that our staff will continue to support you in the best way we can.”

           

Some of the refurbishment work that will be carried out will include:

• Improving the layout of bedrooms so that our en-suite bathrooms meet the changing needs of our patients and comply with disability regulations.
• The installation of new doors in the In-patient Unit reception that will withstand wind, improve volunteer wellbeing and access to the unit.
• The erection of a new canopy over the In-patient Unit entrance to provide patients shelter from the elements when arriving/leaving the building by car or by ambulance.
• The creation of a new reception area in the In-patient unit, and re-working of corridor space to afford patients and their visitors more privacy and dignity.
• The creation of a 'Step Down' rehabilitation space that will enable us to better plan for discharge and support patients to live independently.
• A larger dream room so that more children and young people can enjoy the space, including children in beds being able to access the dream space if sadly this is required at end of their short lives.
• The creation of a designated 'messy play' space so that the children can have more therapeutic play time rather than having to stop activities to clean up for meal times.
• Incorporating patio doors into the Rebecca House bedroom design in order to make our gardens more accessible to all of the children and families that use our services.
• Re-orientation of our much used and needed Jade's place so that we can offer  more children and young people individual and group bereavement sessions.
• Re-orientation of our therapy areas to a quieter area of our building to enhance the level of relaxation experienced by our patients.

 

Communication is key and Hospice senior staff have taken time over the last few weeks to contact and discuss the refurbishment plans with staff, patients, volunteers and key partners.

All patients and families are advised to contact the Hospice professional that you have an existing relationship with, who will be happy to discuss how these changes will affect you and answer any questions you may have.

Alternatively, you can call the Hospice information line on 647442 between 2-5pm Monday to Friday and we will be happy to listen to any concerns you may have, answer your queries where possible, and or redirect your query to an appropriate person.