Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Totally transformed
The planned redesign of St Andrew’s Hospice will see the creation of 21 single and three triple rooms plus a host of state-of-the-art improvements and updates.
It is described as a transformational change which will retain the existing facade but result in a complete new environment indoors.
Plans to refurbish and extend the Henderson Street premises, the hospice’s home for the past three decades, include creating far more single rooms, which will give patients extra privacy and also provide room for loved ones to stay overnight.
There will also be three triple rooms for patients who prefer shared wards, with all patients having direct access to a courtyard garden or paved patio area.
Rooms are designed to be welcoming and relaxing, with medical equipment close at hand for nurses but tucked away behind cabinets. A new patient entrance will be created, distinct from the main public reception area.
The hospice currently has 30 in-patient beds and cares for up to 120 patients per week. Its representatives say the refurbishment would allow for a greater number of patients to be cared for and to spend time with their families in more relaxed and comfortable surroundings.
Chief executive Bruce High said:“It will make a huge difference.
“All patients will have access to the gardens, there will be more single rooms and two large corner rooms with seating for friends to come round.
“We’ve been looking into a new design for a couple of years and have worked with architects to plan for the needs of patients.
“It’s an exciting time and there will be a lot of‘before and after’photos as a historical document of the changes.
“We were very keen to refurbish our existing building rather than build a new one, especially as we mark the significant milestone of our 30th anniversary.
“It’s a massive challenge to raise an additional £9m but the hospice has touched the lives of many people in Lanarkshire and beyond and we’re hopeful their continued generosity will help achieve our target by 2019.”