Elf to create family room at RD&E
The Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF) has invested £30,000 to help realise the idea of building a family room for Haematology patients at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
The local charity has invested the funds to develop and plan out the reworking of space in the Haematology Centre to accommodate an area where critically ill patients can enjoy time and privacy with their families. The family room will bring all the comforts of home, but also allows quick access to hospital facilities and expert healthcare professionals when required.
The proposed space will provide a holistic room that cares for the needs of the patient, allowing them privacy and dignity, as well as their family. The room will have bedrooms for family members to enable them to stay close to their loved-one during their stay in hospital. It will also include a lounge, ensuite facilities and access to some outdoor space.
To make this room a reality, ELF has funded the concept designs and initial drawings, as well as the planning and mechanical engineering reports. Once the planning is complete, ELF will embark on a capital funding appeal later in the year.
The plans will build upon the work that has already been achieved at the Wonford hospital as a result of the on-going partnership between ELF and the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. In 2003 ELF part-funded the building of the new £2.4 million Haematology Centre, and currently supports a counsellor, an aromatherapist and Physio-Technician on the Yarty Ward.
Mags Naylor, Chief Executive of the Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF), said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for ELF and the RD & E to develop a world class facility to support patients and their families.”
Tracey Reeves, Deputy Chief Nurse/Midwife at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to be working with ELF on this worthwhile project which is both a patient centred and family friendly scheme. It will inevitably make a big difference to patients and their families during their stay”.
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