New Pease Pottage hospice: All you need to know

Building work has begun on a larger £19.5 million St Catherine’s Hospice at Pease Pottage.
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The hospice will provide more space to develop services and allow hospice teams to respond to an increasing need for hospice care.

St Catherine’s was first founded in 1983 by a group of pioneers in the local community who recognised end of life care needed to be better for local people. Since then, St Catherine’s has provided care and support to thousands of local families, but with no room to grow at their current hospice in Malthouse Road, Crawley, the hospice needs to expand to provide more care to more people now and in the future.

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Research has shown demand for hospice services will rapidly increase with an ageing population.

An aerial view of the new St Catherine's site in Pease PottageAn aerial view of the new St Catherine's site in Pease Pottage
An aerial view of the new St Catherine's site in Pease Pottage

Current trends suggest that there could be twice as many deaths in hospices, care homes, and private homes in 20 years’ time.

Coronavirus has also caused devastating disruption to people’s health.

During the pandemic there were 50,000 late-stage diagnoses for cancer and significant worsening of symptoms amongst people living with dementia.

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Bereavement is also now a national crisis. Many bereaved people are experiencing severe vulnerability in their grief.

They’re facing long waiting lists or being told they’re ineligible for help.

St Catherine’s can provide specialist bereavement support to help local people to cope with their loss.

The first rooms of the new hospice are expected to be complete by around August 2023 and new patients admitted in autumn next year.

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The new hospice will allow St Catherine’s to expand its expert community services so more families can have support in their own homes.

It will also allow the charity to increase wellbeing, emotional care and bereavement support by offering private counselling rooms, a reflective courtyard and spiritual space.

There will be 24 beds, an increase from 18 beds in the current hospice, and all rooms will offer people a private garden and ensuite bathroom.

Twelve rooms have adjoining sitting rooms for families to stay overnight and four rooms have been especially designed to meet the needs of people with dementia.

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An additional 250 people will receive care as outpatients and 110 extra patients will be cared for on the hospice wards each year.

New step-down care will be offered for people coming out of hospital who are not quite ready to return home.

Respite care will be reintroduced on the hospice wards, giving carers a much needed break from caring for someone they love at home.

St Catherine’s is so near to completing their new hospice, but the local charity has a final £800,000 to raise.

Now they are calling on the community to help.

To donate towards the new hospice visit: www.stch.org.uk/newhospice or call the St Catherine’s Fundraising Team on 01293 447361.

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