Bereavement Centre

Visitors to the dedicated new Bereavement Centre at St Thomas' Hospital, officially launched by Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE, are being soothed by a pleasing glass installation created by artist Karen Lawrence.

The five and a half metre long 'Waterscape' window panels were commissioned by the Charity as part of the King’s Fund Enhancing the Healing Environment initiative.

The artist was given the natural world as her brief. She used an incredibly delicate ‘paté de verre’ technique - normally employed on small vessels - to create the intricate details, adding gold leaf to the glass, and said: "I felt it was important that the lines of the design work as an uninterrupted vista that can be observed from either end of the approaching corridors. I hope to have introduced a feeling of ebb and flow across the glass to create a meditative atmosphere.”

The Charity's brief to Karen emphasised the hospital's diverse community, and the final work is contemplative without religious overtones.

The new centre was initiated by the King’s Fund’s ‘Improving Environments for Care at End of Life’ programme. The Trust’s Face team supported the works to ensure that improvements adhered to the Design Standards which have now become standard for all capital projects, and a grant of £27,500 from the Charity contributed to the project.

Geoffrey Shepherd, Chief Executive of the Charity said: “This Centre reflects the strong commitment of Guy’s and St Thomas’ and the Charity to ensuring that patients and their families are treated with the utmost respect and dignity while in hospital, including when and after they die. I am sure that these improved facilities will help staff to provide the very best compassionate care."