Bequest helps fund hospice rooms at Arran War Memorial Hospital
Miss Grizel R Hume, who died on 15 December 2008, left £175,000 to help provide and equip two additional single rooms at the Arran War Memorial Hospital for use in palliative care for patients who are approaching the end of their lives. This generous bequest adds to the sum of £27,000 raised by the Arran Hospice Charity, begun by John McFaull after his wife, Judy, died of cancer. A letter from John follows below.
Miss Hume’s cousin, Miss Catherine Maclean, said: ‘Grizel would have been delighted that her funds are being put to such good use to assist the islanders.’ The Directors of the Arran Hospice Charity expressed their gratitude to the local NHS for working with them, and said, ‘Although we have donated virtually all of our funds to the development we intend continuing to raise funds for specific additional specialist equipment.’
The Arran War Memorial Hospital endowment fund has paid for the balance of the work, which has involved alterations to surrounding rooms and facilities to accommodate the single room changes.
Jean Hendry, NHS Ayrshire & Arran Health Care Manager, spoke of how members of the public had regularly highlighted the need for additional single room accommodation at the hospital. She said, ‘We are absolutely delighted that the generous donations we have received have allowed us to respond to this need.’
The two new single rooms will be achieved by dividing a large, four-bedded room into two specialist units. A tender for the construction will be issued at the end of September and the contractor is expected to start on site mid-November 2011, with work due to be completed by the end of March 2012.
