St Julias Hospice, Hayle, is to benefit form a £3,859,000 handhour to 16 hospices throughout the region and will go towards improving the physical environment.

Hospices like St Julias will receive funding to provide a wide range of improvements, including: 1. improving dining facilities so that people have access to a wider range of meals and greater support in eating them, with the emphasis on improving nutrition amongst elderly people; 2. refurbishing existing day care, outpatient and in-patient facilities; 3. providing additional facilities that will enable family members to stay with their relatives at night; 4. increasing accessibility to enhanced gardens and outside spaces; 5. increasing the number of single rooms for hospice users providing greater privacy and dignity; 6. increasing social spaces; 7. improving and increasing therapeutic facilities such as multi-sensory environments for people with disabilities; 8. providing information technology that allows older residents to stay in touch with friends and relatives and encourages independence.

Liz Redfern, Director of Patient Care and Nursing at NHS South West said: "This is great news for hospices across the region who will directly benefit from this money. It means that the extra funding can go towards improving patient's surroundings which will contribute to the well being of patients.

The funding is targeted towards those schemes which deliver the greatest benefit to hospice users and I am delighted that so many schemes have been benefited in the South West."