For the past 28 years Fair Havens Hospice has been caring for people living with life-limiting and terminal illnesses.
Throughout this time we have cared for over 20,000 people and countless family members. All of this care is free of charge.
As people live longer and the benefit of hospice care is experienced by people with cancer and a wider range of life threatening conditions, the need for this type of specialist care is ever increasing.
But we face an insurmountable challenge. Our hospice is two converted houses. Our Care Team does amazing work, but the physical limitations of our existing Fair Havens are stopping us from caring for more people.
Last year, we had to turn away 49 people in need of hospice care because Fair Havens didn’t have enough beds available at the time they were needed
We have been developing plans for a new hospice and searching for a suitable site. In our search we have taken account a range of factors including location, transport links and the views of our patients and their families.
We have viewed 80 sites and fully assessed nine of those but the majority fail to provide the necessary ‘fit’. This has led us to widen our search and seriously consider greenbelt sites, including Belton Way, adjacent to Leigh on Sea train station. This has become our chosen site, because it is the only location on which the best and fullest hospice care can be provided.
Being close to Leigh-on-Sea station, the new purpose built hospice will be easy to reach and will enable Fair Havens to care for more patients. Plans include:
- A 16 bed In Patient Unit with each room having views across the Leigh coastline
- Larger rooms enabling more family and friends to visit and stay overnight
- Bedrooms more suited to younger patients and those who have outgrown the care provided at our sister children’s hospice, Little Havens
- A more spacious and welcoming Day Care centre with modern and comfy surroundings
- Wide corridors, modern facilities and specialist equipment
- Beautiful scenery and gardens for patients and their families to explore.
Unless we can find a new site and build the new hospice, there is the very real prospect that in the not too distant future Southend will be without hospice care
We do understand that local residents may have concerns about any form of building on the land. We also know that there have been many letters in the local media and talk within the community regarding our plans, not all entirely accurate.
For this reason we want to share directly and honestly with you here the reasons why Belton Way is our chosen site, explain the criteria we used and details about the Planning Application that will be submitted to Southend Borough Council.
