Harlington Hospice and the Michael Sobell Hospice Charity legally merge their operations
On 4 April 2023, Harlington Hospice and the Michael Sobell Hospice Charity announced that they have legally merged after four years of successful collaboration. They have merged to increase their resources and ensure that local people with serious or terminal illness, and those close to them, can access essential hospice services way into the future.
Over the last 47 years, the Michael Sobell Hospice in Northwood has been a place of hope and support for local people living alongside illness. In 2018, the closure of the Michael Sobell Hospice Inpatient Unit sent ripples of sadness and concern through the local community.
It was with renewed hope and determination that Harlington Hospice, who have been based in Hayes for almost 38 years, and the Michael Sobell Hospice Charity, who fundraise for the Inpatient Unit, established a new partnership enabling the Inpatient Unit to reopen in January 2020. Throughout the pandemic, the charities expanded their services and it became clear how further collaboration could benefit people who need the dedicated care and support they offer.
After four years of collaboration, Harlington Hospice and the Michael Sobell Hospice Charity have legally merged their operations. Merging has meant that their separate clinical and fundraising teams have been able to join up: this increase in the resources and expertise means they can become more efficient in their day-to-day work.
Steve Curry, Chief Executive at Harlington Hospice, said, “I see this merger, this moment, as a launch pad into the future of hospice care for the more than 300,000 people living in Hillingdon and surrounding areas. A future where each human being told they are living with a terminal illness has their unique life – their unique goals – at the forefront of the care they receive, from early in their illness until the end of their life.”
The Hospice provides free-of-charge Inpatient Unit, Hospice at Home, Wellbeing, Psychological & Emotional Support, and Education & Information services. As a charity only part funded by the NHS, they rely on donations from the general public to keep their services running.
To mark the announcement, the now singular hospice has undertaken a rebrand. Their website explains that the new brand was developed to reflect the values that underpin their work: being collaborative, responsive, thoughtful and courageous. And that the hospice hopes the brand will inspire the local community to support their work. Their website states, “Whilst we are looking to our future, we are also returning to our roots and re-naming the Michael Sobell Hospice as Michael Sobell House. We [also] wanted our charity’s name to reflect the range of services we offer and we feel that the name Harlington Hospice is in a better position to showcase this [than Michael Sobell House] to those who are not yet familiar with what we do.” Following the merger, anyone wishing to make a donation to solely support Michael Sobell House will still be able to do so.
To learn more about the merger, visit harlingtonhospice.org