Changes to our clinical services in 2026

• Our Hospice at Home service will continue to provide specialist palliative and end-of-life care, but we will no longer offer routine domiciliary care. This service was funded separately by the NHS, and without that funding we can no longer deliver the service. For those who were receiving the overnight visiting service alongside domiciliary care, the Integrated Care Board (ICB) has sourced alternative providers.

• Our Living Well services, including group sessions and wellbeing activities, are ending. We appreciate how much these services are valued; however, we’ve had to make these changes to allow us to focus on supporting people with the most complex and urgent needs.

We recognise this will cause concern and we will be doing everything we can to help those affected access alternative support.

We will continue to provide some therapeutic and rehabilitative services, including breathlessness management, exercise support and counselling through our patient and family support team.

• Some volunteer-led services, such as Community Companions, will no longer be provided. We have shared details of other local services which provide similar support and are funded to deliver this type of help in the community.

• We are moving away from services based on specific conditions. Instead, we are focusing on patients with the most complex palliative care needs, regardless of diagnosis. This ensures our specialist teams are supporting those who need their expertise the most.

Patients will continue to receive support through their GP or relevant specialist NHS services.

• Our therapy teams, including counselling and chaplaincy, will focus on those who need specialist care most.

• Our Wellbeing services, including group sessions and activities in the hospice, will end. While we know how valued these services are, they are not part of our specialist palliative care offer and are not funded in a sustainable way. There are a range of other community-based services available locally, and we will help signpost people to these where appropriate.

• Some volunteer-led services, like Compassionate Neighbours, are also ending.

• Our therapy teams, including counselling and chaplaincy, will focus on those who need specialist care most.

Chestnut Tree House will stop providing routine community respite for children and young people. Our community team will be re-focusing their support on children and young people approaching the end of life, prioritising those with the most complex symptoms and urgent need.

This has not been an easy decision, as we know how much families and colleagues value these services. However, given the chronic underfunding of our services, we must prioritise children, young people and their families to be supported and together in their final days.

We understand this change will be difficult for families. We are committed to working closely with all those affected to ensure they receive the support they need.