Why do we need a new hospice in Norfolk?
“You matter because you are you, and you matter until the last moment of your life. We will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully but to live until you die.”
Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement.
Why does Norfolk need a new specialist care hospice?
Over the past 40 years, the population of Norfolk has increased significantly, as has the incidence of terminal or life-limiting illness. Changing patterns of life mean care within the family unit is not always possible and there is a greater need for respite and day care.
In 2017, there were more than 11,500 deaths in Norfolk and Waveney. It is estimated around 70-75% of these would benefit from some form of palliative care – as an inpatient, in the community, or through the day centre.
Norfolk has one of the lowest levels of specialist palliative care provision of any English county. Commissioning guidelines indicate a requirement for 47-59 specialist beds and we currently only have 16 – all in Priscilla Bacon Lodge.
The constraints of Priscilla Bacon Lodge’s city centre site mean no further expansion is possible. Availability of parking is an issue for those visiting terminally ill loved ones, or going to the day centre.
