A children’s hospice in Kinross is set to receive a £17million revamp.
Families have been consulted on the redesign of Rachel House, which includes an additional hydrotherapy pool, better-equipped bedrooms and fully accessible adventure gardens.
If plans are approved, building work could begin next year and be completed in 2027.
Run by Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), Rachel House provides care for children with life-shortening conditions and their families.
When it first opened in 1996, it supported just under 100 children a year. Now more than 200 young people are supported annually.
Perth family ‘excited’ about multi-million-pound upgrade to Kinross hospice
Dr Qusai and Esraa Al-Hamdan’s son and daughter, Mohammed (Mo) and Elaine, both have the same life-shortening condition.
The Perth family are regular visitors to Rachel House since being referred by CHAS in 2021.
Qusai said: “CHAS is a wonderful charity and Rachel House is a place very close to our hearts.
“Mo and Elaine both suffer from Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia, which causes problems with movement, coordination and balance.
“As their condition is degenerative, making memories together as a family is very important to us and we have spent many wonderful respite visits at Rachel House over the last four years.
“Our family are all very excited about the refurbishment project as we know lots of careful thought is going into making sure the redesigned building will remain a special place and will deliver first-class specialist hospice care to families like ours right across Scotland.”
CHAS CEO Rami Okasha said: “This is a huge project for us and one we haven’t taken on lightly.
“We want to transform end-of-life care for children and their families in Scotland.
“While Rachel House has served hundreds of families well until now, to deliver the high-level care required long into the future we need to upgrade and rebuild.”
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