First patients to arrive in February
Australia’s first Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice (AYAH) has finished construction, with the first patients expected to arrive at the facility next month.
In late December, the NSW Government announced the Manly facility’s construction phase was complete, marking an end to the $19.5 million infrastructure project.
The waterfront hospice will be the first of its kind in the country, providing respite, symptom management and end-of-life care to 15 to 24-year-old patients from across New South Wales.
It will offer young people who have outgrown nearby Bear Cottage or who are diagnosed with life-limiting conditions as a young adult a place of relaxation while receiving world-class care.
The newly constructed building, on the site of the former Manly Hospital, includes eight bedrooms for patients, each with an ensuite and outdoor balcony.
There are also two carers’ lounges and two, two-bedroom family accommodation units along with communal kitchen, dining, and laundry areas.
Several ‘breakout spaces’ have also been incorporated in the build, including a games room, media room, multi- sensory room, quiet room, sitting rooms and a lounge room with an outdoor balcony overlooking the habour.
There are also Telehealth consult spaces for staff to provide support to young patients and families from all over the state.
Member for Manly James Griffin said the AYAH was made possible through generous donations from the local community, together with funding from the NSW and Australian governments.
“This project holds a very special place in the hearts of people right across the Manly community,” he said.
“We are so proud that this beautiful site in Manly will provide important care to people experiencing the most challenging of circumstances from. The hospice was a promise made years ago, and now it is a reality.”