Thames Hospice  is delighted to announce  planning permission has been agreed, in principle, to build a new, state-of-the-art hospice for the community by Bray Lake, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

The announcement follows several months of planning and consultation before the planning application was submitted.  The charity will now finalise the details, and secure the option to purchase the land from local business, Summerleaze, and start the process towards building the new hospice.

Debbie Raven, Chief Executive, Thames Hospice, said:  “This decision represents a huge step forward in the provision of specialist palliative and end-of-life care for our local community.

“Our Hospice, first opened 30 years ago, is no longer able to keep up with the volume of people who need our care and services. Pine Lodge – our much-loved existing building – has been added to, altered and expanded many times and we cannot adapt it any further. Patient numbers are increasing dramatically and we are caring for more patients with increasingly complex illnesses and symptoms. Put simply, the care we provide is outstanding – but the building is holding us back. The new hospice will allow nursing and medical teams to continue to deliver exceptional care, without hindrance.”

Set in more than eight acres, with stunning views across landscaped gardens and Bray Lake, the new hospice will have 28 inpatient beds in individual en-suite rooms. A new Day Centre (the Paul Bevan Centre) will offer a wider range of daily therapeutic and social activities for day patients and inpatients, and will allow the hospice to double its day service provision. A new Education Centre will be dedicated to promoting palliative care excellence – ensuring staff receive ongoing training so patients get the best care. We will also be able to offer education to others in our community.

Debbie Raven continued: “Thames Hospice is a vital part of the local community and its expansion will address ongoing end-of-life care needs. Once built, the new hospice will be an unrivalled state-of-the-art facility for the residents of East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire, and one I know they will be incredibly proud of. We hope to open the doors of the new facility in 2020.”

  

 

About Thames Hospice

Thames Hospice is the local charity for people living in East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire.  We provide expert care to adults who have a life-limiting illness - and their families and carers.

We care for the physical, social and psychological needs of our patients, not just the condition.  Our highly skilled medical team work with the patient and their families to develop a complete programme of care tailored to their individual needs. 

Our services include nursing and medical care in our Hospice at Windsor, Community Therapy Unit in Ascot and in patients' homes, as well as practical and emotional support. 

It costs more than £7million every year to keep our Hospice running.  We rely on 80% of our income from charitable donations, which enables us to provide our services free of charge, 365 days a year, to the people who need us.

Find out how you can support us, volunteer or access our services at www.thameshospice.org.uk

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Restrictions removed to support Thames Hospice redevelopment

The restrictive covenant on the current Thames Hospice site has been removed allowing the hospice to move forward with its relocation and new hospice build plans.

At Cabinet on Thursday 22nd November 2018, Councillors agreed to remove the restrictive covenant on the hospice’s existing site in Hatch Lane. The removal of this covenant will allow the charity to proceed with its relocation plans to its new site at Bray Lake whilst maximising the value of their existing site.

Leader of the council, Cllr Simon Dudley said: “Removing this restrictive covenant will enable Thames Hospice to move forward with their relocation plans, allowing them to continue providing the very best care to our residents in a building and setting fit for their needs.”

The Royal Borough approved planning permission for the new 28 bed hospice in July 2018 which will also include:

  • A new day centre (the Paul Bevan Centre) offers a wider range of therapeutic and social activities for day patients and inpatients and will allow the hospice to double its day service provision.

       * A new education centre will be dedicated to promoting palliative care excellence, ensuring staff and other medical colleagues in the community receive ongoing training so patients get the best care.

       *  The removal of this covenant means the land can be sold without restrictions, increasing its value to over £5,000,000 providing Thames Hospice with additional funds for their new hospice.

 Debbie Raven, chief executive of Thames Hospice, said: We are delighted that the restrictive covenant on our existing site has been removed. This will provide additional funds that will directly support our £18 million new hospice build and ongoing care for our local community.”

Thames Hospice will break ground on its new site by Bray Lake in January 2019 and will open the new facility in 2020.