Public events to reveal concept designs for enhancing & extending hospice care

Following an initial public engagement event in December, Rowcroft Hospice is continuing to gather local views on its plans to enhance and extend its care with two more public events. Taking place at the hospice on Thursday 3 March 2pm to 7pm, and Saturday 5 March 9am-12 noon, the events will provide an opportunity for people to have their say on the latest stage of Rowcroft’s plans.

Rowcroft Hospice is committed to making every day the best it can be for those living with a life limiting illness and their families in South Devon. At the heart of its ambition to enhance and extend its care is a remodelling of the Inpatient Unit, which will see the number of beds increase from 12 to 14.

The concept designs are based on creating an environment that reflects a family home, while giving patients and their families even greater independence, privacy and choice during those precious moments together. This includes single rooms with en-suite facilities that can incorporate the very latest specialist equipment, family accommodation and a café.

The development of the hospice site also includes plans to support the ageing population of Torbay. A 60-bed, purpose-built specialist dementia and complex nursing home will enable Rowcroft to meet the wider care needs of the community, as well as provide a valuable income stream to support the hospice’s future care. Designs have been developed that will allow residents to live in a caring, nurturing and vibrant home that supports as much independence, mobility and inclusion as possible.

The final part of the project is the development of elderly living accommodation and community facilities such as allotments, a village hall and a nursery. Creating opportunities for recreational activities and providing intergenerational connections are at the forefront of the initial concepts.

Mark Hawkins, Rowcroft Hospice CEO, said: “We are incredibly proud to care for our community and want to ensure that specialist, quality end-of-life care is available to everyone who needs us, irrespective of diagnosis, circumstance or background.

“We are very grateful for the feedback on our initial proposals to enhance and extend our care – this has been used to direct the ongoing development of our plans and we will be revealing our concept designs for each element at the events in early March. Maintaining the site’s tranquility and beautiful surroundings are critical to our plans and we will be demonstrating how things like landscaping and traffic management will help us achieve this.

“The input of our local community is really important in ensuring our care evolves in a way that will best support everyone who needs us in the future. We would, therefore, like to encourage as many people as possible to come along to the public engagement events and have their say.”

Event details:

Thursday 3 March – 2pm to 7pm

Saturday 5 March – 9am to 12 noon

Rowcroft Hospice, Rainbow House, Ella’s Gardens, Avenue Road, Torquay, TQ2 5LS

Contact care@rowcrofthospice.org.uk or call 01803 210866 for more information about the engagement events.

Further information about the project is available at www.rowcroftcare.co.uk or by following Rowcroft Care on Facebook.

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