THEY may not sound like groundbreaking innovations but the opportunity to have space in the garden to paint or do exercise classes when the weather is fine and a gallery to show patients' artwork will be immeasurable in the new home for the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice.

The 21st-century healthcare facility to be built on a hilltop site at Bellahouston Park won't be short of hi-tech technology but it is the simple addition of flexible outdoor and indoor accommodation that will make all the difference.

Of all the improved facilities on offer in the new building, the greatest expansion will be outpatients.

"The hospice is taking a major step forward in offering palliative care to the people of Glasgow because of the increase in demand for that care," explains Sharon McCaffrey, outpatients sister at the hospice.

"There are more people living now with life-limiting illness. The new hospice will offer flexibility to develop and improve our current services but it will also help to lower the age limit to 15 years.

"I think the increase in space and facilities in the outpatient department will allow us to develop in new ways to support patients and families."

What that means in bricks and mortar for day care services and the outpatients clinic is more clinical rooms, three complementary therapy rooms, physio and occupational therapy as well as art room space and an information hub for patients and carers.

"It's going to be quite extensive," confirms Sharon, who has worked at the hospice for six years, two of them as outpatient sister.

"At the end of the day our aim is to support people to live their lives as well as possible and for as long as possible. By expanding our services we will be able to offer so much more to a wide range of patients."

Opening up services to patients aged 15 years and over introduces a lounge for them to use with a computer and games.

While patients of all ages can use a hydrotherapy pool for treatment and exercise.

"Patients will also have access to outdoor space to paint and participate in chi-gung classes, a form of tai-chi, or just sit and enjoy the sunshine and views across the park with their families or other patients," says Sharon.

"The building will sit on top of a hill and there's going to be a viewing gallery to look out across Glasgow."

There will be more exercise groups and quiet spaces for relaxation, boosting current facilities at the Carlton Place hospice.

"Although we are doing these things just now it is in a smaller way. When we move we want to expand that and do more group work, and introduce more carers into the building to get them to participate," explains Sharon.

On the clinical side for outpatients, changes will mean more nursing interventions. For example, patients can come in for blood transfusions while in the past they would have had to go to hospital.

"They will would monitored and be able to go home again. It's much easier for patients, they don't want to be in hospital for a long time," says Sharon.

The common thread that runs through the plans everyone has for the new building, from the architect to patients and medical staff, is the enhanced art room and gallery area - all agree is a vital service.

"I think for our patients the art room is a place where they can just be themselves. It's not about the illness, it's just about producing a piece of work they are very proud of. It might be to leave for their family or just to do for themselves," says Sharon.

"One patient had an exhibition recently in Glasgow and had never picked up a paintbrush until a year ago. He came along to day services and went into the art room and started painting.

"What happens is when someone becomes very ill is they can't participate in life in the same way. They lose that sense of self - they might not have their job any more - so they have to find something else.

"A lot of the time that happens in the art room because they can sit down and relax and it is something they can do quite easily. What they find is they get a lot of pleasure from it because you're still doing something productive and that give people a lot of happiness."

As well as painting and drawing, there will photography, screenprinting and crafts as well as creative writing.

"It's going to be fantastic to move to a larger space where we can offer different age groups an individualised service," says Sharon.

"We don't view people as a group, they are individuals and we offer care to them that way because not everybody is the same."

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Tomorrow: A clinical perspective on the new building