Care for local people living with cancer and other serious illness has received a boost with the green light given to St Giles Hospice to build a new In-Patient Unit at its site in Whittington, between Lichfield and Tamworth.

Local charity St Giles Hospice and Whittington Parish Council submitted a joint planning application for a bigger and better In-Patient Unit in the village to extend the special care for which the hospice is renowned, together with new recreation facilities for the village.

Following February’s approval from Lichfield District Council, approval has now been received from the Government’s Communities and Local Government department, meaning that the lengthy process of drawing up the detailed internal design can begin.

The new unit will provide 27 beds for patients nearing the end of their lives, in need of specialist care, or requiring respite care to control their symptoms earlier in their illness. Much of the accommodation will be in individual rooms which will be larger than the existing rooms to accommodate modern clinical equipment and with en-suite facilities.

The current In-Patient Unit has provision for only eighteen beds and its expansion and refurbishment was ruled out by the charity, which would have had to close the facility for up to two years while such major work was undertaken. In future, the current In-Patient Unit will be used to house St Giles’ Education and Training Department.

The new unit will be built on the site of the vacant vicarage on Fisherwick Road, part of the existing hospice site, and a small area of the Glebe Land that adjoins it, with the remainder of the Glebe Land used to create the recreation area for local residents.

The buildings have been designed to blend into the existing site through extensive landscaping including a “green roof” covered with slow-growing vegetation.

Peter Holliday, St Giles Hospice Chief Executive, comments: “We are grateful to Whittington Parish Council for working with us on a scheme which has won the approval of planning officials, and delighted to be able to develop our vital care services and provide even greater support for local patients and their families.”

The hospice is hoping that the funds to build the extension will come from Grant Making charitable trusts and local companies, and will be launching an appeal later this year, which will be led by well-known St Giles Hospice Fundraising Co-ordinator Laura Pennycuick, who has been appointed Capital Appeal Director.

Peter Brown, Capital Appeal Chairman, comments: “We are delighted to have Laura’s involvement and her expert skills combined with her vast experience working for the hospice, will prove invaluable.

“We are confident that Grant Making charitable trusts and businesses will continue their generous support of the hospice through the Capital Development Appeal.”

St Giles Hospice is one of the best-known and most respected charities in the region, offering high-quality nursing and medical care for people with cancer and other serious illness, as well as providing support for their families and carers.

Patients come from across the hospice’s catchment area, which ranges from Ashby de la Zouch and Atherstone in the east, to Cannock and Walsall in the west – and from Burton and Uttoxeter in the north, to Sutton Coldfield and Coleshill in the south.

Care is offered either at the hospice’s facilities in Whittington and Sutton Coldfield, or in patients’ own homes across the region.

St Giles spends over £5million every year providing its specialist services. With just a third of this funded by the Government, the registered charity relies heavily on donations and fundraising - including proceeds from the St Giles Hospice Lottery and network of 14 charity shops.