The new-look Sunflower Living Well Centre at East Cheshire Hospice is already reaping rewards for patients and staff.
The £1.3m facility opened four months ago and is a vital community hub for healthcare.
An extensive range of services is available for day care patients diagnosed with a life limiting illness with more programmes on the way. Many patients can get involved with the arts and crafts that the activity coordinator provides.
Modern surroundings can be adapted for courses, enhancing the visitor experience.
Exactly how health care professionals envisaged it when plans were drawn up.
Sunflower Sister Sharon Hurley said: “Everyone is delighted with how we’ve settled into our new home. It’s a fantastic facility and most importantly provides the best possible environment for our patients and staff.
Sharon Hurley, Sister at the Sunflower Living Well Centre.
“It’s not often you go to a place where everything is brand spanking new. Everywhere is lovely, fresh and bright with reclining chairs that have pressure relief cushions and bifold doors which give patients access to the garden.
“I must admit we had to get savvy with all the gadgets, but we have piped music which means we could have ABBA in the dining room and Queen in the main room.
“We’ve become quite techy and it’s lovely to have a larger nurses’ station where we are situated near the patients.
The main lounge at the centre.
“The kitchen and dining room are in dementia friendly colours, and we love the glass corridor which avoids interrupting patients during their visit.
“There’s a quiet room with its calming environment. We can divide up the main room to hold separate activities.
“It’s still early days as we get things implemented. For instance, we may bring in volunteers to run activities at Halloween or Christmas.”
Staff mark the opening of the Sunflower Living Well Centre in April.
The extra capacity means the Hospice has started hosting stand-alone courses with the Look Good Feel Better charity.
Volunteers from the beauty and wellbeing industry offer advice remotely to cancer patients via a giant screen on the third Friday of every month, which is held here in the Sunflower living well centre.
The Sunflower centre have worked with the Macmillan cancer resource centre in Macclesfield who refer for these one-off sessions.
Leaflets are found within the Macclesfield area and on the Hospice website. Participants receive a goodie bag of products and courses for men will hopefully run in the future.
There is also a six-week Live Well Feel Well programme aimed at anyone living and coping with the effects of their illness and treatments.
There are multiple services including topics such as breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety, complementary therapies, befriending, art therapy, counselling, lymphoedema, physiotherapy, dementia support, motor neurone support, staying strong and keeping safe.
* Contact the Sunflower centre on 01625 665685 for full details.
