WORK is expected to get underway in May or June on an ambitious £3million revamp of Mary Stevens Hospice's day unit.

Bosses at the Stourbridge charity aim to completely refurbish and modernise the centre, which was opened by Princess Diana back in 1991, to help cope with increasing demand.

The redevelopment, which has prompted the biggest fundraising appeal in the hospice's history, will see the facility extended to include new treatment rooms, state-of-the-art new equipment, better child bereavement and consultation facilities, improved education and training facilities plus a family apartment for relatives to stay at the hospice.

While the works are being carried out non-clinical staff at the hospice will move into the neighbouring Mary Stevens Centre (the old Mary Stevens Maternity Home) which is home to Age Concern Stourbridge and Halesowen.

Meanwhile - the hospice's current fundraising offices will be temporarily converted into a day unit to enable existing centre users to continue to access day care.

Stevan Jackson, the hospice's chief executive, said: “We are very pleased that, at their meeting on February 13, the Ernest Stevens Trust agreed to allow us to temporarily relocate our 11-strong fundraising and lottery team to a wing of the former Mary Stevens Maternity Home.

“Once the team have moved we will embark on a £3million refurbishment and renovation project that will enable us to increase our capacity and capability.”

The hospice staff will be using a currently unused wing of the Mary Stevens Centre, which it will redecorate and equip with new toilet, IT facilities, telephones and security measures.

Hospice spokesman Dan Malin said: "Once these offices are equipped and fit for purpose, we’ll start the work on the main rebuild in May/June.

"The team will move back down to the hospice after the work is completed and we expect the project to take about 18 months, so hopefully around Christmas 2018 we should have our new building."

And he stressed: "Day centre patients will still be able to access our care throughout the refurbishment so should experience no disruption or drop off in the standard or the frequency of the care they receive."