His Royal Highness Prince Charles visits new NGS Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Unit

PRESS RELEASE 07th JULY 2021

His Royal Highness visited the Y Bwthyn NGS Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Unit at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Ynysmaerdy, during the afternoon of Wednesday 7 July. During the visit, the Prince met NHS staff from Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, patients and their loved ones at the eight-bed palliative care unit, which opened its doors in September 2019.

The £7.25m unit was largely funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and the National Garden Scheme, who each gave £2.5m. The additional funding came from the Welsh Government and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.

A Patron of both Macmillan Cancer Support and the National Garden Scheme, His Royal Highness also met Macmillan’s Chief Executive Lynda Thomas CBE and the National Garden Scheme’s Chairman Rupert Tyler during the visit.

The unit as designed by architects that specialise in palliative care to create a calm, welcoming, and comfortable environment for people with incurable illnesses and their loved ones. Each patient bedroom has doors designed so a patient’s bed can be taken outside onto a screened terrace if they wish to go outdoors.

Lynda Thomas CBE, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “I am thrilled our Patron His Royal Highness Prince Charles visited the Y Bwthyn NGS Macmillan Specialist Care Unit to see first-hand the peaceful environment it offers to people nearing the end of their lives and their loved ones.

“The unit is Macmillan’s biggest build in Wales, which we funded thanks to our brilliant supporters, and I was so pleased our charity partner, the National Garden Scheme, who donated £2.5m towards Macmillan’s contribution to the unit, joined us there on such a special day.

Rupert Tyler, Chairman of the National Garden Scheme, said: “As Chairman of the National Garden Scheme I am very proud to be celebrating this wonderful new cancer unit to which we have contributed £2.5 million.

“It will be a lasting legacy in Wales of our partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to which we have donated over £17 million through 37 years. For HRH The Prince of Wales, Patron of both our charities, to visit the unit is the icing on the cake.”

His Royal Highness was also talked through the unit’s history wall which tells the story of Y Bwthyn’s history.

The unit relocated palliative care services from Y Bwthyn Pontypridd Cottage Hospital as patients faced a 20-minute journey to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital for certain tests and treatments, which could be difficult and distressing. Its new location means that all patients can get the care they need in one place.