Hospice celebrates 15 years of providing care

The charity has two inpatient units alongside a range of other services

A hospice is celebrating 15 years of providing care and helping patients and their families.

Coventry's Myton Hospice welcomed its first patient on 7 December 2009.

Ruth Freeman, chief executive officer at The Myton Hospices, said raising the £7m to open the site was "an incredible challenge" and the past 15 years filled her with pride.

The charity runs hospices in Rugby, Warwick and Coventry, and has two inpatient units alongside a range of other services.

Ms Freeman, who joined the organisation as director of fundraising, said: "Seeing the impact we've made over the past 15 years fills me with pride.

"The progress we've achieved in terms of the care and services we provide for patients and their families is fantastic."

She said the past 15 years would not have been possible without the support of the community and the charity was incredibly grateful.

Gurinder Cheema, a nursing assistant, said: "Over the last 15 years, we have cared for increasingly complex patients, and many return to us when they need support, which reflects the environment we've created."

She said the hospice had become vital to the community, providing respect and dignity to everyone cared for.

Since it opened, the hospice has supported almost 9,000 patients living with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

But it said more people needed a hospice bed than ever before and demand at both inpatient sites had increased by 11% in the past 12 months.

The hospice receives 20% of its funding from the NHS and must raise more than £11m a year to continue providing services free of charge.

It has launched an urgent £240,000 appeal to fund five registered nurses for a year.