EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE OPENS NEW PROSEAL WING

A new wing at East Cheshire Hospice, entirely funded by the amazing generosity of Proseal UK Ltd, has officially opened.

The extension at the charity's site on Millbank Drive, Macclesfield, will be known as The Proseal Wing, honouring the name of the company co-founded by Steve Malone and Rob Hargreaves.

The building will act as a Co-ordinated Care Hub for the charity's Hospice @Home service - which has been an overwhelming success since it began almost four years ago - and the new Coordinated Care service, developed to help to guide both the patient and their family through the complexity of end-of-life care.

The clinical leadership team and some support services will also be based in the new two-storey block which is sited at the back of the Hospice and links the clinical ward with the administration unit. 

Contractors finished the 10-month project on schedule without causing any disruption to the charity's day-to-day care provisions.

Hospice @Home and the Coordinated Care Service has been funded by so-called Hospice Angels who pledged to support the service over its first five years.

East Cheshire Hospice Chief Executive Karyn Johnston said: "We're delighted and proud to be able to open this new building which provides such a valuable and significant resource to our community and is an essential part of our plans for the future.

"It's only been possible thanks to the generosity of Proseal's co-founders Steve Malone and Rob Hargreaves and we thank them sincerely.

"The Proseal wing allows the Hospice to move into the next stage of our Hospice @Home project, putting East Cheshire Hospice at the centre of co-ordinating palliative care in our community.

"It means that more people than ever before will be able to access end-of-life care and support at home, and receive specialist care if needed at the Hospice."

Steve and Rob co-founded Adlington based tray sealing specialist Proseal in 1998 and say the donation made in 2019, is on the behalf of all Proseal employees, whose hard work and dedication enabled them to make this important contribution.

They said: "We have enjoyed immense success and growth in the 23 years since Proseal was established, and none of this could have been achieved without the fantastic support and commitment of everyone within the business.”

"Proseal therefore wanted to give something back to the local community. We chose the Christie Cancer Centre and East Cheshire Hospice as the recipients because of the vital work they do, which any of us at Proseal, as well as our families and friends, may have to call on at some point."

Proseal has been a global success, receiving the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2018 in recognition of its international trade exports. Proseal became part of the Chicago-based JBT Corporation two years ago and employs 400 people at Adlington, part of a 6,000-strong global workforce.       

Steve and Rob are long-standing supporters of fundraising group What Women Want and their £1m donation to the Hospice came via their link with that fundraising committee.

In addition, What Women Want have funded a car so Hospice @Home staff can visit patients at home as part of their on-going support, dating back many years.

Hospice @Home extends end-of-life care into people's homes providing hands-on medical care, psychological support, symptom management, end-of- life care and care after death.

* East Cheshire Hospice is the second lowest funded hospice in the country, receiving 17 per cent of the income it needs to keep going from government. It costs £7,500 a day to provide palliative care for patients, their family and carers.

 Pictured - The East Cheshire Hospice senior management team. From left, Debbie Alexander, Sarah Dale, Shelley Seabourne, Karyn Johnston, Rachel Allcock and Sandra Jones.