PEOPLE are being encouraged to get the best out of a Worcester hospice by placing their ideas in a new suggestion box.

St Richard's Hospice has embarked on a programme of measures to improve the service it offers.

The suggestion box has been made and donated by craftsman Jeremy Cornwell of Foal Yard gallery in Bransford.

The suggestion box is just one sign of the hospice's plans to encourage feedback.

"This is a lovely piece of workmanship, and in many ways it symbolises what the hospice is trying to do, work with the local community to produce quality in all that it does," said Dr Richard Woof, from the hospice.

Dr Woof said the Rose Hill facility not only had a responsibility towards the patients and their families, but also to those who supported the hospice through voluntary contributions and donations.

"We have very close links with the community around us. For years the hospice has enjoyed the support of local people. Without them we would not be able to offer the service that we do, free of charge," he said.

"In return we must constantly monitor the quality of our work and strive to ensure that it is the very best, so that those who support us can be confident that we make the best use of their contributions."