St Barnabas Hospice’s Inpatient Unit Reopens After Six-Month Renovation

The Hospice’s Inpatient Unit on Nettleham Road in Lincoln has reopened its doors after several months of refurbishment works which started in the summer. On Friday, 11th November, an exclusive reopening event took place to mark the occasion, with the first patients officially admitted to the Hospice on 14th November.

The 150-year-old building required essential maintenance and St Barnabas Hospice took this opportunity to implement a series of modern features to improve the quality of comfort to patients further and create a homely and cosy ambience. This includes a beautiful skylight feature in the stairway, restful images, opened-up spaces, new furniture and lighting, and much more.

The reopening event was attended by special guests, including John Turner, Chief Executive of the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), who officially reopened the building.

Mr Turner said: “I am delighted to be here today and offer support to the Hospice on behalf of myself and the NHS. St Barnabas has a fantastic track record of being a really significant partner in our efforts to provide the best health and care possible across the whole county. The Hospice cares for people and their families during the most difficult times of their lives, and I take my hat off to all staff and volunteers.”

In his welcome speech, Chris Wheway, Chief Executive of St Barnabas Hospice, said: “The new environment is carefully designed around our vision of high-quality, dignified, and compassionate care. We are now taking patient referrals through GPs, and we look forward to again give outstanding care to those who need it in our community. This has been a long journey with a lot of work involved, and we want to extend a big thank you to our contractors Miller Knight, who have been superb.”

Matthew Flower, Regeneration Director at Miller Knight, said: “As a business, we are passionate about supporting St Barnabas, and the charity means a lot to me personally on many levels. This facility is so important to the community, and the refurbishment had to be done right. We worked hard, and we are proud that we delivered a great result on time.”

Vic Haskell, the owner of air-conditioning company Haskell & Co, was invited to attend the event and take a look around the refurbished building. He kindly donated and fitted two air-con units after being moved by his partner’s outstanding care in the Hospice last year.

Vic says: “It was summer, and the room my partner Diane stayed in did not have any air-conditioning, so it got quite hot. The care she received was ‘true care’, and the nursing staff were totally amazing. There was always somebody on hand to help her, and nothing was too much trouble. I can’t praise them enough; simple as that.

“Air-conditioning is my business, and I thought this was the best way to help St Barnabas. The value of these units and the installation is about £7,000, and I’m very happy to have been able to support the Hospice and further improve the comfort of their patients. After my experience, St Barnabas is now my company’s preferred charity.”

The care at the Inpatient Unit is available free of charge to patients in Lincolnshire who require around-the-clock care. Referrals to the Hospice can only be made via GPs – please contact your practice for more information.

Would you like to make a real difference to patients, visitors, and carers? St Barnabas is looking for Ward Volunteers who can help serve patients meals and drinks, keep nutritional diaries, and maintain a tidy environment, amongst other vital tasks.

If you are interested in this voluntary role, visit https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer/ to learn more about what the role entails and how to apply.