A letter to our supporters

“Sobell House celebrates a significant anniversary this year – 50 years of care. As we have been researching the history of Sobell House to share with you, it is clear that we have remained true to the vision of the founder of the modern hospice movement, Dame Cicely Saunders, and Sir Michael Sobell, our eponymous benefactor. When the idea of Sobell House was conceived, the plan was to create a space for those with life-limiting illnesses that would have a ‘good domestic atmosphere’ and provide support to enable patients ‘to live at home wherever possible.’ Even more beautifully, a letter from the consultant Haematologist AA Sharp, inviting people to become Friends of Sobell House, describes the hospice as being intended ‘to provide a “tender loving care” environment’. 

This resonated with me, as I have often described Sobell House as a place where love is embodied and where everyone matters. To know that the Friends of Sobell House, the predecessors of Sobell House Hospice Charity, worked alongside the NHS to support that care and bring the vision of Sobell House to fruition reminds me that this has always been a place where community and care go hand in hand. That is what we celebrate this year – 50 years of care for the community, in the community and supported by that same community. 

While we still fulfil the original vision for Sobell House, we have become more than just a building. Today, our care reaches far beyond our walls, into people’s homes and across the local hospitals. Our recent partnership with Macmillan to fund the RIPEL project has enabled a Virtual Hospice to be launched, bringing hospice care to the homes of thousands of patients and resulting, on average, in an additional 11.3 days at home during the last year of someone’s life. 

As well as funding developments to our service, we are committed to finding better and more innovative ways to care for people. Indeed, funding research is one of Sobell House Hospice Charity’s two charitable objects. Whether we are working on new ways to manage metastatic bone disease through OxMINT, building our academic department, or improving supportive care for patients with chronic kidney failure, we are always adding to our offer and working to make our service accessible to everyone who needs us. Reaching more people is vitally important, as we need to be here for everyone. Working with our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Hospice UK, we have funded an outreach nurse to support people who are vulnerably housed or experiencing homelessness and in need of palliative care. We have also looked closely at our patient data and identified communities where need is high, but where we are not yet reaching enough people. Addressing that gap is now a key priority for us. 

Back in 1976, when we opened, we cared for 181 patients in the first year; now we look after around 4,500 patients a year. We know there are more in our community who need our support to live as well as they can, for as long as they can, with a life-limiting illness. Looking ahead to the next 50 years of Sobell House, we know that need will continue to grow, and we are determined to grow with it. 

We thank you for your continued love and support for all that we do. We hope, too, that you will join us in celebrating all that we have achieved together, as well as supporting the next 50 years and beyond.”

Amelia Foster, CEO