CRASH helps North Yorkshire Hospice meet local community’s needs
Hospices
Sidmouth
Oct 2023
A small project making a big difference
Sidmouth Hospice at Home provide wrap-around care tailored to people’s needs, including palliative care in a patient’s own home.
They have a team of 10 specialist nurses who provide 24/7 care and a network of specially trained volunteers who support the nursing team by delivering a variety of services, including sitting and befriending, transportation and bereavement support.
The need
Sidmouth Hospice moved into a new home in Summer 2022, a former GP surgery that provided a perfect hub for the hospice to base their day services from. The final part of the development plan was the outside work; the hospice wanted to create an accessible parking area, so visitors could access the hospice easily, and a garden that could be used by the people who visit, where they could spend time in a peaceful and relaxing outdoor space.
The project
CRASH visited the hospice alongside Corporate Patron Arcadis who donated their expertise and provided a survey of the building exterior and surrounding space. Supporter Hollis provided a topographical survey to map out the outdoor footprint – highlighting ‘street furniture’ such as a gas meters or signposts so they could be considered in designs.
With the surveys complete, the hospice could then go about getting the work started. CRASH provided a £70,000 grant which covered the works and was only made possible thanks to the generous fundraising of the construction industry.
- The total value of support for this project was £74,583.33
Before & After:
The outcome
The new car park means patients and visitors can be dropped off directly outside the hospice’s entrance and there is now an accessible ramp and wide path that wraps around the building. Improving access to the hospice has made a huge impact…
- Day Centre patients (who are often frail and immobile) as well as Dementia clients who attend the hospice each week for Wellbeing Days can now be dropped off in a dedicated zone directly outside the entrance, which helps to ease them into the hospice’s surroundings.
- The improved car park also means the Charity’s nurses are assured a safe space to park when they need to access the building 24/7 to provide their vital community nursing care.
- New lighting that has been integrated into the car park design now illuminates a dark public footpath that runs parallel to the hospice which has been greatly welcomed by local residents.
- The hospice now has a growing schedule of weekly services thanks to its easy access and is recognised as a local hub in the community with Wellbeing Days for hospice patients and Dementia clients, a regional nurse training hub, spiritual support sessions and a bereavement tea group.
- The hospices accessible bathroom facilitates patient bathing days which is also available to the local hospital’s community nursing team for their out-patients and an additional space is used to offer physio sessions.
The finished garden complete with calming water feature
Making a start!
Even the side path is complete with greenery
The new path under construction
The new car park means visitors can arrive in a dedicated zone directly outside the entrance
An award- winning garden…
The hospices garden area has been completely transformed thanks to a local Women’s Institute. The group entered a national competition and designed a beautiful garden of tranquillity for Sidmouth Hospice at Home; after winning the competition the design was put into reality.
The group nurtured plants in their homes before planting in the thoughtfully designed space. Already filled with love; the garden of tranquillity is enjoyed by all who visit – whether that’s admiring its beauty through a window, or winding through the wheelchair friendly resin path and taking a few peaceful moments outside to hear the calming sounds of the water feature.
“We are immensely grateful to CRASH for their time, advice and generosity in providing funds to this project. When we moved to our new home just over a year ago, we weren’t expecting to have it in the shape that it is in now. This project will benefit our patients, staff and volunteers, as well as other users of the building such as the Community Nursing Team and the wider community that we serve. As a result of this funding, the building is completely accessible, it is smart and it provides spaces for all to enjoy. The Therapeutic Garden is stunning and has already benefitted our own patients and patients of other services who use our building. Thank you, from start to finish you have been professional, helpful and hugely generous. We will be forever grateful.”
Chief Executive Officer at Sidmouth Hospice
“It is always touching to hear the impact of CRASH’s support, and this is a fantastic example of a small project making a big difference. The hospice has been able to more than double the day services they offer thanks to the improved access and the garden area is a beautiful space for all who visits. Thank you to the construction industry who’s fundraising enabled CRASH to offer a large grant to Sidmouth Hospice and create a lasting impact for this local community.”
Chief Executive at CRASH
