North London Hospice site in Finchley to close for a year as £10m rebuild begins

Patients will be cared for at Edgware Community Hospital while the work takes place, reports Richard Cubitt

North London Hospice's site in Woodside Avenue, Finchley — North London Hospice’s site in Woodside Avenue, Finchley (credit Google)

North London Hospice will temporarily close its inpatient unit in Finchley for a year while a £10million rebuilding project gets underway from the start of next month.

The charity, which operates three hospices in Barnet, Enfield and Haringey, will use the Jade Ward at Edgware Community Hospital as an alternative inpatient unit while construction takes place at its Woodside Avenue site.

Capacity will be reduced while the works take place, as Woodside has 15 beds but Jade Ward only has twelve.

A spokesperson for North London Hospice said: “We have assessed our occupancy levels over the past twelve months and believe the needs of the community will continue to be met in our temporary Inpatient Unit and through our community nursing teams. We are proud to still be able to offer inpatient services during this project, something that other hospices undertaking similar work have not always been able to do.

“By working in partnership with NHS Property Services to temporarily lease facilities at Jade Ward, we will be able to continue to provide outstanding care whilst creating a unit fit for the future, that will benefit our community for decades to come.”

The work at Woodside Avenue will begin in August and the rebuilt unit is expected to open in autumn next year.

A spokesperson for the hospice said the project was needed because “as the population has grown, aged and increasingly includes younger people in need, the demand for hospice care has risen”.

They continued: “The needs of patients have become broader, more multifaceted and complex. While end-of-life care, interventions and equipment have evolved, North London Hospice facilities have not.

“After extensive consultation and research, including exploring several different options, hospice leaders concluded that a complete redevelopment of the Inpatient Unit is the best solution for the charity to meet future needs of patients.”

The construction project, titled ‘Building for Tomorrow’, will be overseen by Neilcott Construction Ltd and is expected to cost £10m, with most of the funding coming from donors, trusts and private sponsors as well as the government.

The charity will launch a public appeal this autumn to raise the remaining £2.4m required.

North London Hospice was founded in 1984 and was the UK’s first multi-faith hospice. They receive 3,500 referrals for patients with a life limiting illness every year and are the only hospice for adult palliative care operating in Barnet.

Declan Carroll, chief executive of North London Hospice, said: “Our patients are at the heart of everything we do. We know that at their most vulnerable hour, being cared for in a homely, comforting, personable environment really matters. It makes a lasting, meaningful difference.

“So, we owe it to them and their families to rebuild our inpatient unit in accordance with modern standards, to preserve and safeguard our specialised, vital care now as well as into the future.”

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