After four years of fundraising, campaigners have successfully raised £12.5m to replace the Priscilla Bacon Lodge in Norwich with a new facility on an eight-acre site next to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The appeal was supported by the EDP and its readers. The new site, which opened last month, offers a state-of-the-art palliative care unit, inpatient beds, a day unit, and a wellbeing centre. It will also serve as a hub for community-based services, allowing people to receive care in their own homes.
To celebrate the opening of the new facility, King Charles III will be visiting the Priscilla Bacon Lodge today. During his visit, he will spend time with patients receiving end-of-life care, as well as their families. He will also meet with the volunteers, nurses, and other NHS staff at the hospice. The Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, Lady Dannatt, will welcome the King before introducing him to Lady Bacon, patron of the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity, and other key figures involved with the facility.
During his visit, King Charles III will have the opportunity to tour the Lodge’s day unit and meet with outpatients participating in a breathing workshop led by medical staff and volunteers. He will also meet Agnes, the therapy dog, and explore the hospice’s therapy garden, which is a source of solace and comfort for patients and their families. The King will then visit patients in their rooms and tour the hospice’s chapel before unveiling a plaque commemorating the official opening of the new Priscilla Bacon Lodge.
This is not the first time that King Charles III has visited the Priscilla Bacon Hospice. As Prince of Wales, he visited the facility at its previous location near the center of Norwich in 2012. The new Priscilla Bacon Lodge represents a significant improvement in the provision of palliative care in the area and stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of the campaigners who raised the necessary funds. Its state-of-the-art facilities and community-based services will ensure that patients receive the highest quality care, both within the hospice and in the comfort of their own homes.
