Take a look inside Telford's Princess Royal Hospital's new bereavement suite

It's a small, freshly painted room in neutral colours. It is simply but comfortably furnished, with a bright blue three-piece suite, white cushions, and a water-colour painting in a silver frame.

Roy Lilley presents Richard Jones withi his volunteering badge

This neat, modern room at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital is somewhere nobody wants to find themselves. But for those who do, these simple home comforts are priceless. It is one of the latest "Swan rooms" which form part of a scheme to make life as pleasant and comfortable as possible for dying patients and their families during their final moments.

"Dying matters and we only get one chance to get it right,” says Jules Lewis, who is responsible for end-of-life-care at Shropshire's two main hospitals.

Increased life expectancy and an ageing population means end-of-life care is an increasingly important issue. A recent study identified Telford & Wrekin as one of six local authorities where the number of people above the age of 80 is expected to grow by 20 per cent or more over the next five years, while the last census found that more than 27 per cent of people in the Shropshire Council area were over the age of 60.

But the increased number people living into their 80s, 90s and beyond – nearly one per cent of Shropshire's population is now over the age of 90 – also means that many people at the end of their lives will have outlived their family and friends.

Richard Jones is one of nine volunteers who have just signed up to a new scheme to provide support for people coming to the end of their lives at Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal hospitals.

The volunteers will make themselves available to spend time with dying patients in their last few hours who might otherwise not have anybody with them.

At the opening of the new Swan room inside the emergency department at the Princess Royal Hospital: Chief operating officer Debbie Kadum , Jules Lewis, volunteer Jules Lock and hospital chief executive Simon Wright

The trust's end-of-life-care team: Rachel Preece, Jules Lewis, Debbie Snook and volunteer Jules Lock

Ward manager Tracy Smith opens the new Swan room inside the acute medical unit at the Princess Royal Hospital alongside photographer Jason Hornby, who supplied two colours prints of swans

Dr Terri Porrett, from the Academy of Fabulous Stuff, Jules Lewis from Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals end-of-life team, and Roy Lilley outside the entrance to the Swan bereavement suite at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Roy Lilley with a painting he has donated for one of the Swan rooms

Inside the Swan room at the Princess Royal's emergency department

During a tour of the mortuary and the bereavement suite, Jules Lewis (left) shows Dr Terri Porrett and Roy Lilley pictures of how the mortuary used to look before the refurbishment

The first end-of-life-care volunteers: Rachel Higgins, Barbara Seston, Terry Seston, Richard Jones, Jules Lock, Hannah Roy and Jules Lewis

Lynn Rowley and catering manager at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Nick Parkin with the new Swan vouchers

Mr Jones, 33, who also works in the hospital's communications department, says: "I just thought it would be a nice thing to do, a way of giving something back to the hospital.

“Patients who are dying often experience loneliness, anxiety about impending death and depression, yet may have no or few family or friends to comfort them," he says.

"Hospital remains the most common place of death and no one should die there alone.

“I am fortunate to have a wonderful network of family and friends but I know not everyone is in the same position as myself and I wanted to be able to give a small piece of my time to offer friendship to someone that has contributed so much to the world we live in.

"Having completing the course and training I feel confident in approaching patients and families and offering support.”

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals trust, which runs both hospitals, has drastically improved care for dying patients following a critical report two years ago.

Last week the trust opened two more Swan rooms at Princess Royal, taking the total number across the two sites to nine.

Roy Lilley, a media commentator and founder of a national website about the NHS, called in to pay a visit, and was shown before and after photographs of the bereavement suites.

Mr Lilley, who runs The Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuff website, says: “The changes are fantastic and the Swan rooms are very clever, caring and compassionate.”

The rooms are deliberately designed not to look like hospital wards, and provide a peaceful environment where patients can spend their final days with their loved ones.

Each room has its own distinct decor, and uses relaxing colours and tranquil artwork, as well as soft furnishings and mood lighting. Photographer Jason Hornby, who attended last week's opening ceremony, has supplied two colour prints of swans for the room at the hospital's acute medical unit (AMU).

Mrs Lewis says: “Helping patients and their families at their time of greatest need is hugely important to us.

"The staff on both AMU and A & E have been fantastic in helping to make this happen and we have had great support from our estates colleagues, too.

“The Swan room in A & E was the biggest challenge, and it has taken us many months to complete – but perseverance and teamwork have really paid off and the room has been transformed. It will make such a difference.”