The Bath Cancer Unit Support Group has marked Dying Matters Awareness Week by handing over a special quiet room at the RUH where staff can talk with patients’ families.
The former storeroom, located next to the palliative care team’s office in the main hospital corridor, has been refurbished and transformed into a comfortable and peaceful consultation room, away from the busy hospital wards.
The Bath Cancer Unit Support Group (BCUSG) donated £14,318 towards the cost of the quiet room, which will be used to talk to patients’ families and carers about end-of-life care when there is no quiet room available on the ward.
The specialist team aims to provide the best achievable quality of life for adult patients and their families facing cancer and other life-threatening illness that are not responsive to curative treatment.
The team supports more than 1,000 patients each year at the RUH in Bath.
The quiet room, which is near the hospital’s Lansdown Restaurant, will also be used for staff training sessions and meetings with colleagues from other RUH departments.
The refurbishment project involved installing a new ceiling and lighting, as well as new flooring and kitchen facilities.
Helen Meehan, lead nurse in the palliative care team at the RUH, said: “The team would like to thank the Bath Cancer Unit Support Group for the grant that enabled us to create this quiet space away from the team office.
“The new quiet room will give us a dignified and respectful space to meet with patients’ families, away from the ward if this is needed.
“The quiet room will also provide a much-needed space to support staff away from the ward and a place to support staff training. It will make such a difference to those that use it.”
BCUSG chairman Mike Taylor said: “Caring for people nearing the end of life and supporting their families is an incredibly important part of healthcare.
“So we’re delighted to be able to help fund this new facility where the palliative care team can talk to patients’ loved ones in a quiet and respectful setting.”
To donate to the Bath Cancer Unit Support Group, or discuss becoming a corporate partner, email Alan Webb at [email protected] or phone 07896 741233.
