A local hospice has been awarded £4,500 to help bring its IT facilities up to speed.

Rotary members said they were delighted to be able to support the development of the Great Oaks Hospice in Coleford with a gift of £4500 to develop their IT facilities.

Tony Hughes, President of the Rotary Club of the Royal Forest of Dean, presented the donation to Great Oaks’ chief executive John Aizlewood and Chairperson, Sue Williams at a meeting of the club.

A spokesperson for the club said: “
John told us that Great Oaks Hospice is making a positive change for 1,000 people each year, but required donations and earnings to make up 70 per cent of its running costs.

“He also pointed out that disjointed and fragmented care was a real source of frustration for the dying person and their support network.

“Rotary’s donation will enable the manual systems, currently used by the nursing staff, to be replaced by netbooks and laptops that will allow access to patient records and result in a more efficient and integrated system that links in with GPs and the NHS system.

“This donation will entirely fund this IT project at Great Oaks Hospice.”


For more information about the Rotary Club visit www.rotary-rfod.org.uk.

Tony Hughes President of the Rotary Club of the Forest of Dean (left) and Chris Coleman, who is Chair of the Rotary Community Committee (right) are pictured presenting a cheque for £4,500 to the chief executive of Great Oaks Hospice and Sue Williams who Chair of the Coleford-based facility.