Sharon Wheeler, Chestnut Tree House: Launching a new service to transform care across Sussex

There are still many more who need us, and we believe that children with life-limiting conditions deserve equal access to dignified, holistic palliative care. It’s crucial that families can access this specialised care whenever and wherever they need it.

Children and their families should also have the choice of where to spend their final days. If home is the best place for them, they should have the right support.

So, in collaboration with other care providers in Sussex, we are setting up a new specialist paediatric palliative care service - COAST. It is currently based at Chestnut, but we plan to grow the service across Sussex.

This means children and families can be referred to a specialist service for symptom management, including end-of-life care. Our goal is for them to receive the right medication and care, and to choose their preferred place of death with full support from a skilled team.

We’re proud to be facilitating this innovative new service – which doesn't currently exist in Sussex – so we can be there for even more families in the future as they face the most difficult times.

You only have one chance to get the end of life right – and we believe this service will transform the experience of many families.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to introduce new services like COAST. Because of your generosity, more families will receive the specialised care they urgently need.

To find out more, go to www.chestnut.org.uk/COAST