50 years of hospice care in Worthing started with an appeal to the community

The final build cost of the original h ospice was £183,107 – all from donations from the local community and charitable organisations. There were 20 staff and in the first two weeks, they cared for nine patients. The hospice in Columbia Drive, Worthing, was officially opened by the Duchess of Roxburghe on June 18, 1973. Dr Gusterson was keen for people to understand that it was not just about end of life care – of the 275 patients admitted in the first year, 51 were discharged home.

The Home Care Team was established in 1984 to support people to stay at home. In 1989, a third of the deaths recorded by St Barnabas were at home. The hospice’s Community Palliative Care Team and Hospice at Home Team continue to offer this care and support at home, with over half of patients dying at home in 2022. The St Barnabas day centre was opened by Her Royal Highness Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1985. This centre has evolved over the past 38 years as patient needs have changed. Today, the hospice’s Living Well service provides regular groups and programmes to help those living with life-limiting illness live well for longer.

In 2011, the hospice moved to its current site in Titnore Lane, Worthing. The purpose-built building includes dedicated spaces for in-patients, day patients, families, therapies and spiritual care, as well as beautiful gardens and spaces for reflection. Two years later, the St Barnabas Hospice at Home service launched, providing hands-on care to patients at home. Last year, they made nearly 11,000 daytime visits and almost 900 night-time visits to patients.

Currently, St Barnabas House cares for around 1,800 patients annually, offering specialist care in people’s own homes and in the hospice building. Explaining the importance of hospice care and the support of the local community, Tim Hutson, director of adult services, said: “As we enter our 50th anniversary year, we are working hard to ensure that our expertise can reach everyone who needs it, developing our services so that our community is better equipped to help those facing the end of their life. All this is possible only thanks to the ongoing generosity of individuals, groups and businesses in our local community. They enabled the hospice to be built 50 years ago and ensure that we can continue to be here for those who need it – now and in the future. On behalf of everyone at St Barnabas House, thank you.”

The cost of providing all care services at St Barnabas House is over £9million a year, with only 23 per cent of this coming from government. The rest comes from donations, fundraising, gifts in wills and charity shops. To find out more about St Barnabas House, visit www.stbh.org.uk