New family wellbeing room for Greenwich & Bexley Hospice
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The Pitch
Problem statement
Here at Greenwich & Bexley Hospice in south east London we care for around 350 terminally ill people on our inpatient unit every year. For every patient are many visitors: carers, friends, children and family of all kinds. We have a family wellbeing room where people can relax before or after they see their loved one on the ward. It is a place to watch TV, play board games, or sit with a cup of tea and look out of the window onto our woodland garden. It hasn't been updated for 7 years, so it looks tired and our furniture is old and not sturdy or washable enough for a healthcare setting. It looks institutional and old fashioned. It is a bit depressing. We want to do better for our community.
Solution
The goal is to create a brighter, more up-to-date, positive space for at least 750 family members a year, who are losing a loved one, to sit and relax in -& help their wellbeing The funding will be spent on two things: New Furniture The furniture we need is expensive as it is designed for a healthcare setting & can be cleaned to a higher standard that conventional furniture. This is very important with the advent of COVID. Previously we have bought cheaper items but it has turned out to be a false economy. Due to COVID & its ongoing effects in the way people relate to each other chairs are preferred to sofas Decorating The space needs redecorating, in brighter more modern colours
Why are we best placed to deliver?
The Hospice has been caring for our community in south east London for over 25 years. We have the skills and experience to create a safe comfortable space for those who are losing loved ones inside our Hospice building. Nearby to the family room there are doctors, nurses, counsellors, our Hospice cafe and our gardens - it is a link to everything we offer. We have our own estates department who can organise this project and a senior nursing and social work team who can decide on the right furniture and look for the room, along with lots of advice from those who are using it.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| High-back Armchair x 3 | £1,965 |
| Low-back Armchair x 2 | £599 |
| Coffee table oval white | £375 |
| decoration of room | £1,500 |
Beneficiaries
325 people
Expected impact
Increased well being for the loved ones of those who are terminally ill because of a more positive place to be. Ability to sit separately - due to purchase of new furnitureAbility to clean furniture to a high standard - due to purchase of new furniture
Track record
The Hospice was founded in 1984 over 25 years ago by two local people with cancer. We have delivered many projects for our community over this time. Our most recent well being project was the design and creation of a sensory garden outside the inpatient unit. This garden transformed a much neglected space into an area that patients and their families could relax in. Movable planters were created so that the space could be altered to suit different situations, for instance to screen groups of people, or to open out for a large gathering.This project has had a very positive impact on patients and their families. In summer the space is busy with family and patients, and beds are often wheeled out next to the flowers. We would like update our family well-being room in a similar way.