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James Marjoribanks, Tom McInnes, Jan Forrest and Clare Oliver
Macmillan Cancer Support has today announced that it is planning to invest £750,000 in building a new specialist palliative care unit in the Borders.
This unit is the first of its kind in the Borders, offering specialist palliative care and emotional support to people with incurable cancer and other life limiting conditions.
The £4.5 million purpose built facility is the result of a partnership between NHS Borders and others including Macmillan Cancer Support. Other partners include the Margaret Kerr Charitable Trust and the Robertson Trust.
Elspeth Atkinson, Macmillan’s director for Scotland, said: 'This unit will make an enormous difference to cancer patients with palliative care needs and their families.'
'It is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our supporters in the Borders who raise so much money for us that we are able to make such a significant contribution to this important project.'
The new facility will improve specialist palliative and end of life care for the people in the area. The existing In-patient palliative care service at the BGH, is situated in a hospital ward, and is not specifically designed for this purpose
It will be named The Margaret Kerr Unit in recognition of a Borders nurse who left a significant legacy intended for the creation of this facility.
The unit will be an extension to Borders General Hospital, Melrose, which is also the site of the Macmillan Centre which is where chemotherapy day and outpatient services are delivered.
It will have its own entrance with adjacent landscaping and car parking, while at the same time retaining an essential link into the main body of the hospital.
Macmillan expertise will help ensure that this new unit offers the best environment for care. Attention will also be paid to interior and garden design to help create a healing and uplifting environment for patients and their families.
Macmillan has been creating healing cancer environments for more than 30 years and, in 2008, 65,000 people throughout the UK were helped in our cancer treatment and care buildings. throughout the UK were helped in our cancer treatment and care buildings.
In the Borders, Macmillan provides information and support services to people affected by cancer, as well as nursing expertise, benefits and financial advice.
Macmillan’s local area fundraising manager in the Borders, Jan Forrest, said: 'We are only able to do so much locally thanks to the amazing efforts of our supporters here.'
'We are now appealing for people to continue to support us, perhaps by organising a fundraising event for the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in September. Everyone who contributes to Macmillan helps us to provide all these important services to make life even better for people affected by cancer.'