Work is starting on a £10 million rebuild of the Martlets hospice, with inpatients to be looked after at a care home in Brighton until the revamp is complete.
The charity was granted planning permission last year to demolish part of the hospice, in Wayfield Avenue, Hove, and put up a new two-storey building.
The new building would include an inpatient unit with two wings – for acute and stepdown patients – which would be connected. They would also be joined to the main building by link corridors.
The plans also include a single-storey extension to the front of the hospice to provide a new main entrance and café.
The main building is due to be refurbished and, while there will be no extra beds, Martlets said that the work was aimed at meeting modern standards and providing a better environment for residents.
While the work is carried out, inpatients are due to be cared for at Maycroft Manor, in Carden Avenue, Brighton.
The care home was rated good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in its most recent report in 2019.
Martlets said: “Sunninghill Contractors start work on the rebuild at the end of May, with the new hospice set to reopen in 18 months’ time.
“During this time, Martlets will temporarily relocate to a private wing at award-winning care home Maycroft Manor, in Brighton.
“This year sees Martlets celebrate its 25th anniversary. The hospice opened in 1997 and has supported more than 34,000 local people since then.
“The charity is now looking to the future and creating a modern and welcoming new space which will help it reach more people facing death, dying and bereavement.
“The new hospice will allow Martlets to care for even more people as outpatients and accommodate up to 14 patients in self-contained, accessible rooms which will open on to their own garden spaces.
“All patient rooms will have en suite facilities to ensure privacy and dignity, and the building will be designed to manage the challenges presented by a future pandemic.
“A new sanctuary space will include indoor and outdoor areas for reflection and remembrance, and there will be refurbished and redesigned community and therapeutic areas, including a new gym for rehabilitation therapy.
“A café and outdoor courtyard garden will offer a place for patients and their loved ones to socialise and relax.
“While the rebuild takes place, Martlets will temporarily move its inpatient unit to a private wing at Maycroft Manor, a highly rated care home in Carden Avenue, in Brighton.
“Every patient will have a private, en suite room, and will be cared for exclusively by Martlets’ expert staff.
“Maycroft Manor Care Home is part of Hallmark Care Homes, which is an established, family-run care provider that has three CQC rated ‘outstanding’ homes in its portfolio.
“It too is celebrating 25 years of care and, since opening its first home in 1997, the group has won 100 awards.
“Martlets had been planning to improve its IPU (inpatient unit) and community services’ spaces for some years but the covid-19 pandemic brought this plan into even sharper focus.
“The pandemic highlighted the need to rebuild the hospice with modern facilities to enable better infection control, greater privacy for patients and visitors, and enhanced choice, comfort and care.
Martlets chief executive Claire Irving said: “This move is a significant milestone in the 25-year history of Martlets and we understand that many local people will have very strong memories of the hospice and connections with loved ones that we have cared for at our site in Hove.
“We have worked hard to create plans for an exciting new building on the same site that has such a significant place in the hearts of local people.
“We are very excited about creating a hospice that will serve our community for the future and provide the very best care for people when they need us the most.
“To enable us to do this, we have to move – and we are confident all will find a warm welcome at our new home at Maycroft Manor.
“We will continue to provide expert end-of-life care and support to local families across Brighton and Hove and coastal East Sussex while we build our new hospice site.
“With the financial support of our local community, we are excited to realise this vision over the coming year and a half.”
Maycroft Manor Care Home general manager Richard Lawson said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to support Martlets through this period of transition.
“Our bedrooms are beautiful and spacious and we have peaceful landscaped gardens that patients and their loved ones can easily access and explore.
“We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with Martlets Hospice who, like us, have been a pillar of the Brighton community for many years.
“The team at Maycroft Manor and I are dedicated to supporting them over the next 18 months, however we can.”
For more information on the new Martlets hospice and how to support the charity, visit www.martlets.org.uk/newhospice.
