TERMINALLY ill patients are backing £4m plans to expand the work of Sobell House Hospice in Oxford.

Sobell House Charity announced this month it has set aside £4m for a new specialist facility aimed at patients with more complex illnesses, such as dementia.

The charity, which is appealing for donations to help fund the scheme, also plans to expand Oxford University Hospital Foundation Trust’s palliative care team so it can work seven days a week.

Cancer patient Julia Kibblewhite said: “I think it’s great but they need more than £4m. If they can improve the service and build palliative care at home for patients that would be more supportive.

“It’s absolutely essential, the more people who have palliative care the better. It’s such a support for patients and their families as well to know that they can have it.”

Retired administrator Mrs Kibblewhite, 71, was diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years ago but it has spread to other parts of her body.

She said as well as getting vital medical support and advice from the doctors and nurses, the hospice, based at the Churchill Hospital, gives her somewhere to socialise with people in the same situation.

Ray Stone, 72, of Carterton, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June last year, but further tests showed it had spread to his bones, kidneys and bladder.

He said: “When you come here you realise how lucky you are because you meet other people in the same position.”

The £4m cash injection comes as Sobell House prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary in May.

The hospice, which is a partnership between the OUHT and the charity, cares for about 3,000 patients across the county, split between its 18-bed unit with day centre and clinical rooms, as well as people’s homes.

In the first phase of the new plans, the charity will pay for OUHT to employ two new medical consultants to extend palliative and end-of-life care for complex patients.

It will be followed in the second phase, by building a new extension to the hospice with six or seven beds to cater specifically for patients will more complex illnesses.

To donate call 01865 857007, or send a cheque made payable to Sobell House Hospice Charity Ltd to Sobell House, Churchill Hospital, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LE, or visit sobellhouse.org