The Queen has said there “aren’t nearly enough” hospices in the country as she praised their work in providing end-of-life care.
She made the comments while visiting Prospect Hospice in Wroughton, Swindon, on Tuesday.
The hospice, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary, provides the only free dedicated end-of-life care service for people in north-east Wiltshire.
Her Royal Highness began her visit to the county by officially opening the new emergency department at the Great Western Hospital (GWH) in Swindon.
She met patients, staff and volunteers while being given a tour around the facility, which opened to patients last September.
The Queen then moved on to Prospect Hospice, an organisation she has been president of since 2013.
There she was met by a welcoming party, meeting patients, staff and dignitaries including Prospect Hospice CEO Jeremy Lune and Lord Lieutenant Dame Sarah Troughton.
To celebrate the hospice’s anniversary, a commemorative plaque was unveiled in honour of the Queen’s visit.
The Queen made an impromptu speech after unveiling the plaque at the Evans Education Centre at the site, named after the founder Rev Derryck Evans.
“Every time I come here, I come away feeling so impressed and feeling so lucky actually that Wiltshire has something like this to look after people who are at the end of their life,” she said.
But she expressed concern about the lack of provision and the continuing issues faced by charities and hospices across the country:
“As I’ve said time and time again, I wish we could clone these places because there aren’t nearly enough.
“We just have to keep them going, I know a lot of people help out but we need a lot more help than that.”
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