Almost 140 ill children have moved to a new healthcare provider following the closure of an east London children’s hospice.
As of late January, 136 children supported by Richard House, in Newham, have been transferred to Haven House, in Woodford Green.
Richard House, the first children’s hospice to open in the capital, was caring for 172 seriously ill children when it closed on 17 December last year.
Deep financial problems are said to be the reason behind it falling into administration.
In a statement posted to its website, joint administrator Adam Stephens said: “Over the past year, the directors worked to try to secure the charity’s future, exploring numerous options to improve its financial position.
“Unfortunately, despite these efforts, no viable solution could be found to overcome the significant financial challenges”.
Haven House previously cared for children in Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest. It has since adopted Richard House’s catchment areas, and provides care for children in Hackney, Newham, and Tower Hamlets.
It looks after a total of 325 children and families. Its services include respite care, symptom management, emotional and practical family support, dedicated sibling support, therapeutic services, counselling and end-of-life care.
The six-bedded hospice sits among acres of woodland and will be increasing its capacity to seven beds early this year.
Charlotte Pomery, the chief strategic commissioning officer for NHS North East London, said: “Our priority is to ensure that children and families across north east London continue to have access to high-quality children’s hospice care.
“We are confident that commissioning Haven House Children’s Hospice to provide this care, drawing on their established expertise and commitment to supporting families when they need it most, offers both stability and a positive outcome in a challenging situation”.
One issue the integrated care board faces is that Haven House is ten miles away from Richard House, which will make it harder to attend for families.
According to a new council report, the Woodford Green hospice has been given permission to purchase two dedicated vehicles. The council has also worked with Haven House to “cover all the additional travel costs for families” and “will deploy our funding directly to support”.
