Why a new Hospice building is needed and what it will achieve for the community

In 2024, we announced plans to build a new hospice — one designed with our community, for our community. This new building will ensure we can provide outstanding care for generations to come.

Why we need a new building

Our much-loved building at Upper Maze Hill has served the community for many years, but it was never designed to be a hospice. Over time, this has created growing challenges that we need to address now:

• An ageing building with rising costs – Our current building is ageing, and rising maintenance costs mean we’re spending more just to keep it running. Some parts are over 160 years old, with heating, ventilation, and general upkeep becoming more difficult each year. This takes vital resources away from patient care. A new building will allow us to focus on what matters most — supporting patients and families in the best possible environment.
• A layout that makes care more difficult – Originally a farmhouse, then a convent, and later a care home, the building wasn’t designed for modern hospice care. Narrow corridors, ward spaces spread across two floors, and an inefficient layout make it difficult for patients, families, employees, and volunteers to move around easily. Many spaces are inflexible, limiting how we can deliver care and support. Without a redesign, the inefficiency of the space will continue to hinder our ability to offer the best possible care to the growing number of people who need it.
• Office spaces that don’t support teamwork – Small, outdated rooms, originally built as bedrooms and bathrooms, are now used as offices. There’s little space for teams to meet, plan, and work together efficiently, which makes it harder to provide seamless care across the Hospice and in the community. This lack of collaboration space hinders the kind of coordinated care that is vital for the complex needs of our patients.
• A hospice that must evolve with growing demand and changing needs – With more people living longer and facing complex conditions, the demand for our services is increasing. Our current building doesn’t have the flexibility to support more outpatient and community-based services, which will be crucial for meeting future needs. Without a new building, we risk falling behind in our ability to deliver the level of care required to support the increasingly diverse needs of our community and growing demand.

What a new building will achieve

A new hospice building will:

• Create a welcoming and comfortable environment – Patients and the people who matter to them will have private, calming rooms and areas, and our team will benefit from well-designed work and break spaces. Essential for promoting patient and workforce wellbeing and supporting families and friends of patients during a difficult time.
• Support best-practice care – Upgraded clinical areas with the latest technology will help us deliver exceptional, personalised care while improving health outcomes. This will ensure we remain at the forefront of modern healthcare practices, providing the best possible support for patients.
• Be accessible for everyone – The design will make it easy for everyone to get around the building, with spaces that welcome people from all parts of our community.
• Help our teams work together – Thoughtfully designed areas will make it easier for our team to collaborate, and in turn deliver better, more joined up care and support. This will ensure that every patient receives comprehensive, coordinated care, improving their experience and clinical outcomes.
• Be built for sustainability and the future – The building will be energy-efficient, saving money and being kinder to the environment. It will also be adaptable to future advancements in healthcare, meaning the Hospice can continue to evolve in line with medical innovations.
• Be a community and learning hub – The Hospice will be a place for people to come together, for education and training, and to receive compassionate care, all while helping us support even more people beyond the building itself.
•  Be here for many more years – The new building will help St Michael’s Hospice continue supporting people in Hastings and Rother for decades to come, helping anyone who needs it to live well with dying, death, and loss. Without a new building, we risk limiting our ability to meet the growing demand for services, ultimately impacting our ability to provide care to people who need it most in the future.