£1m cash bonaza for hospices

Hospices in the West Midlands are to benefit from more than £1 million in funding from the Department of Health, it was announced today.

Compton Hospice, in Wolverhampton, Mary Stevens, in Stourbridge, St Giles, in Lichfield, Katharine House, in Stafford, and Walsall Hospice have each been given cash to improve facilities and services.

Birmingham's St Mary's Hospice has also been given a cash boost.

The money has been made available through the End of Life Care Strategy, which will see 123 hospices in the UK benefit from a total of £40m by March 2011.

Around £496,000 has been awarded to Compton Hospice, which will go towards a £3.5m makeover to transform care for patients and their families.

The project will see 18 single, en-suite rooms for inpatients built at Compton Road West.

The cash comes just a few months after it was revealed that donations were down by a third.

Compton Hospice chief executive Ron Middleton said today: "The money will go towards the refurbishment at the hospice.

"We are delighted with the money.

"It's a significant amount which will go a long way in improving facilities and services at this hospice for the future."

Walsall Hospice, which is currently being built, was awarded £499,369 towards the project while Mary Stevens Hospice was given £127,492 to make repairs to the inpatient unit and refurbishments.

St Giles Hospice was given £545,000 for a refurbishment project, while Katharine House Hospice received £180,939 for work on the day care unit and refurbishments.

St Mary's Hospice is being given £395,000 to make over the day care unit.

Minister of State for Care Services Phil Hope said: "We know that improving the caring environment is something that is very important to people.

"I am delighted to be able to make that a reality in the West Midlands."