Kilbryde Hospice has welcomed the news that we are to get 12 specialist inpatient palliative care beds.

Pictured L-R: Lady Susan Haughey, Director; Margaret Mary Cowan, Clinical Services Manager; Gordon McHugh, Chief Executive Officer; Christine Sherry, Director and Gretta McGuinness, Director outside the Donna Mortimer Ballantyne (In-Patient) Wing at Kilbryde Hospice.

The beds are part of a new pan-Lanarkshire model for palliative care services and specialist hospice provision, which was recently approved by both the North and South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Boards (IJBs).

The new model will see community nursing and home care staff – supported by respective specialist clinical staff – working in an integrated 24/7 way to provide palliative and end of life care and support to people in their own homes or in a homely setting.

It will also see specialist inpatient palliative care provided on a pan-Lanarkshire basis between the Kilbryde Hospice and St Andrew’s Hospice.
Kilbryde Hospice Chief Executive Gordon McHugh, said: “This is fantastic news and we’re delighted for everyone who has supported us over the past 15 years. Anyone in the Lanarkshire area and beyond who has attended a fundraiser for the hospice or contributed in some way over this time, can take some of the credit for this development. We’re also delighted that our state-of-the-art facility will support the new pan-Lanarkshire model for palliative care services in Lanarkshire by providing both specialist inpatient care as well as the day and care at home services within our communities – which we have been providing for some time. It’s always been Kilbryde Hospice’s aim to be at the centre of our community supporting the wonderful work already happening around palliative care by the Health and Social Care Partnerships.”

Welcoming the new pan-Lanarkshire model, Val de Souza, Health and Social Care, South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “This new model will complement the community supports and services which are already in place and which continue to be developed within Lanarkshire to provide integrated care in support of patients in locality settings. The new model also reflects the preferences of people – expressed during a review of palliative care services earlier this year – to receive end of life care in their own home, and also continues to recognise the importance of hospice provision and the services they provide that will support Lanarkshire residents.”