St Giles Hospice is planning to offer a groundbreaking new service caring for those at risk from lymphoedema at its new facility in Sutton Coldfield.

The hospice has already gained international acclaim for the care it offers for both adults and children living with the condition - a painful and unsightly swelling that develops in the limbs.

Until now care has been offered only at the hospice’s facility in Whittington, between Lichfield and Tamworth. But now management hope to extend the care to the new Sutton facility on Lindridge Road when it opens later this year.

St Giles hopes to work in partnership with the town’s Good Hope Hospital to offer a drop in clinic for those preparing for breast surgery.

Lymphoedema can often follow this type of operation, and the aim of the clinic will be to educate those at risk on how to prevent the disease and the warning signs to look out for.

Peter Holliday, St Giles Hospice Chief Executive, said: “We are now planning the finer details of a service which it is clear will provide valuable support and advice for local people at what can be a difficult and troubling time.

“Part of St Giles’ philosophy is to work in close collaboration with the NHS to support and enhance patient care, and this new service for the people of Sutton will enable us to achieve this.”

The announcement of the new service comes as final preparations are being made to the facility, in preparation for its first patients to arrive in the autumn.

The new centre, already in much use as a meeting and education centre, will shortly be offering outpatient consultation and treatment, as well as acting as a base for St Giles staff working in the local community.

The buildings are also available for use by a range of community groups involved in end of life care. Trustees of the Sutton Coldfield Cancer Support Centre were among the first to tour the new hospice facility and they have been offered extensive use of the facilities.

The centre would not have been possible without the support of Sutton Coldfield Municipal Charities (SCMC) and the Muriel Saveker Trust, which together have entirely funded the site, construction and fitting out of the hospice.

SCMC own what was a derelict farm site on Lindridge Road and have granted St Giles a long lease. SCMC has worked with St Giles on the hospice from proposal to completion. The overall value of SCMC’s contribution is more than £2 million.

The Muriel Saveker Trust has provided funding to fit out the new hospice, and to support the work of a St Giles Nurse in the Sutton Coldfield area.

Representatives from the trust were recently given a tour of the state-of-the-art facility, during which they presented St Giles with the British Empire Medal awarded to Muriel Saveker for her charitable work in the Sutton Coldfield area.

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 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 at the hospice's facilities in Sutton Coldfield and Whittington between Lichfield and Tamworth, 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.