Our history
Harlington Hospice
Harlington Hospice is founded.
Reg and Mary Hopkins had a vision to make the end of life for local people more comfortable and peaceful. This vision, which became Harlington Hospice, was initially brought to life by the dedication and commitment of a small group of volunteers. They worked out of their homes to raise funds and establish a volunteer run end of life service in Harlington and Hayes.
But the service quickly grew and it became apparent that a physical site was needed. This was first set up in Victoria Lane and was subsequently expanded to a building behind the doctors surgery in Lansdowne House in St Peters Way. When the charity bought the whole St Peters Way site, the future of Harlington Hospice was secured.
1993Our Hospice at Home service begins.
In 2003, we launched our Hospice at Home service. Our expert team offer night time visits in people’s homes, and can also support people through their last moments.
Our compassionate Registered Nurses, Healthcare Assistants and Referral Coordinators work closely with GPs, District Nurses and other community services so we can offer the right at home support, at the right time.
2003Harlington Hospice's site is extended and refurbished.
Landsdowne House was refurbished and extended to include the Reg Hopkins Centre. The Reg Hopkins Centre was opened on 3rd May 2012 by Paul Hopkins in memory of his father, Reg. Reg and Mary Hopkins MBE were the founders of Harlington Hospice.
Modern and welcoming, the site became home to our expanding range of services including Counselling, Child and Adolescent Bereavement Support, Wellbeing Services, services for carers and Lymphoedema clinics.
May 2012Harlington Hospice hears about the Michael Sobell House closure.
Harlington Hospice became aware of the closing of the Inpatient Unit at the Michael Sobell Hospice (now known as Michael Sobell House). It had sadly closed due to major changes with the clinical provider, East & North Herts Hospital NHS Trust. There was also an increasing awareness that the Hospice building was in need of refurbishment in order to offer the best possible environment for people with serious or terminal illness and those close to them.
June 2018A new clinical partnership is formed between Harlington Hospice and the Michael Sobell Hospice Charity.
Harlington Hospice became the new clinical partner at the Michael Sobell Hospice. The charity worked hard to negotiate contacts with the Clinical Commissioning Group and provided the necessary clinical and administrative processes and procedures needed to operate the new Inpatient Unit.
Together with the Michael Sobell Hospice Charity they were delighted to announce the reopening of the Inpatient Unit at the Michael Sobell Hospice in December 2019.
December 2019Michael Sobell House
Plans to build Michael Sobell House begin.
A chance meeting in 1972 between Dr Alistair Laing, Consultant Radiotherapist and Dr Eric Hughes of the National Society for Cancer Relief (NSCR, latterly Macmillan), resulted in a report confirming the need for specialist palliative care for people living with a terminal illness. The President of the NSCR, Sir Michael Sobell, was impressed by the report and decided to personally provide £1 million to help support the building of the hospice.
1972The Inpatient Unit opens to support the community.
With funding from the NHS, Sir Michael Sobell and the local community, enough funds were raised to build a specialist palliative care unit.
The Michael Sobell Hospice was built on the Mount Vernon Hospital site in Northwood. The first patients were admitted to the Inpatient Unit on Valentine’s Day, February 14th 1977, with clinical services being provided by the local Hospital Trust (now known as East & North Herts Hospital NHS Trust).
February 1977The Michael Sobell Hospice temporarily closes.
The Inpatient Unit was sadly closed due to major changes with our clinical provider, East & North Herts Hospital NHS Trust. There was also an increasing awareness that the Hospice building was in need of refurbishment in order to offer the best possible environment for people with serious or terminal illness and those close to them.
June 2018A new clinical partnership is formed between Harlington Hospice and the Michael Sobell Hospice Charity, reopening the Michael Sobell Hospice.
Following a passionate campaign by our local community, a commitment from the Michael Sobell Hospice Charity to fund the refurbishment, and the new clinical partnership with Harlington Hospice, it was agreed the Inpatient Unit could re-open.Â
December 2019The first patient is admitted to the newly opened Inpatient Unit.
In January 2020, just before the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, the first patient was admitted to the newly refurbished Inpatient Unit at the Michael Sobell Hospice, with clinical services being provided by Harlington Hospice.
January 2020Michael Sobell Hospice Charity’s primary purpose remains as it was in 1977 – to provide care for people from the local community who face life limiting illnesses and to provide vital support for their families and carers. The Hospice team also continue to embrace a philosophy of care that is supported by a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, chaplains, social workers, counsellors, physiotherapists, occupational and complementary therapists, housekeepers and administration staff.
April 2023
