Wolfson Foundation Fund Bereavement Room in New Hospice at Woking

Woking & Sam Beare Hospices have been awarded a grant of £62,000 from Wolfson Foundation, to fund the building of the bereavement room in the new hospice in Woking.

The figure donated by Wolfson Foundation will fund the construction and furnishing of a space where relatives can approach the difficult but necessary practical matters which accompany the death of a relative, as well as matters relating to the care and treatment of their loved one. At present, there is no dedicated private space in the hospice for relatives to discuss confidential matters, sensitively, with the clinical and medical teams.

Lizzie Loveless, Trusts & Foundations Manager at the Hospices, explains the importance of the grant:

“Our hospice is devoted to care for the whole family both before and during their bereavement. For this purpose, it is vital that the new hospice has a comfortable, homely room, available at any time of day. This room must be away from the ward to ensure that undue distress isn’t caused by patients overhearing conversations, or relatives returning to a room where a loved one might recently have passed away. We are very grateful to Wolfson Foundation for their grant which will ensure that we can build, decorate and furnish the room in exactly the way we had hoped.”

The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity that supports excellence in the fields of science, health, education, the arts and humanities. Paul Ramsbottom, the Foundation’s Chief Executive, explains the decision to contribute towards the New Build Appeal by funding the room:

“Improving end of life care is one of the most important challenges facing society, and one to which Woking & Sam Beare Hospices respond with absolute dedication. We were impressed by their vision for the new hospice; their commitment to providing the highest standards of patient care, and their devotion to supporting the whole family during their bereavement. We are delighted to be funding this private, peaceful space, providing a dedicated environment in which for staff to support those who have lost loved ones.

The Wolfson Foundation has funded palliative care since the early days of the modern hospice movement in the 1960s, including the training of palliative care staff and the refurbishment of hospices throughout the UK. In the last 5 years the Foundation has committed more than £5 million to over 70 projects improving end of life care, of which Woking & Sam Beare Hospice is an outstanding example.”  

To find out more about the Wolfson Foundation, visit www.wolfson.org.uk.