Marie Curie Cancer Care has begun work on its new hospice for the West Midlands, which will provide first-class care to terminally ill people and their families across the region, completely free of charge. The hospice will be built thanks to the £7 million Big Build appeal started in March.

Marie Curie celebrates the start of work on new hospice site

Due to open in 2013, the new hospice will replace the existing one in Solihull, which has provided excellent care for over 45 years, but now urgently needs replacing.

Hundreds more people each year will benefit from the new hospice’s services. Besides outstanding specialist care from doctors and nurses, the new hospice will provide single en-suite rooms with direct access onto gardens for each patient, a greatly expanded day therapy unit and increased capacity for counselling and complementary therapies and a base for the Marie Curie Nursing Service for the West Midlands, which provides free care to terminally ill people in their own homes.  All the hospice’s services will be offered completely free of charge to patients and their families.

Liz Cottier, manager of the current Marie Curie Hospice in Solihull, comments: “Our staff have provided outstanding care to thousands of patients in the current hospice, but the 100-year-old building really is reaching the end of its useful life. The new hospice will enable us to provide much-expanded services in a modern, spacious environment.

“The new building will transform the services that my staff can provide to patients and increase the number of people that we can reach. Our patients and families will be able to spend time together, with the privacy and dignity they need to talk, laugh and sometimes cry together. We will be able to provide the best possible care in the best possible environment.”

Chris Rawstron, chair of the Big Build appeal committee added: “We’re delighted to see work start on this fantastic new hospice which will ensure that people across the region get the care they need when they need it most. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported us to reach this milestone. But this is just the start, and we’re calling on everyone in the region to continue their support as this project gets under way. Your support is vital in making this hospice a reality.”

For more information on the Big Build Appeal and the new hospice, visit mariecurie.org.uk/bigbuild