The early days of Sobell House

My involvement with Sobell House, and specifically the Friends of Sobell House, began in the early 1970s when I was part of the team planning the building and equipping of Sobell House. This became possible through a generous donation from Michael Sobell, after whom the hospice is named.

A key figure at that time was Dr Alistair Laing, who chaired the planning committee because of his own clinical specialty as a radiotherapist. Alistair was very positive about supporting the work of the hospice, which was developing a new and innovative way of caring for patients, often with cancer, who were terminally ill. The focus was on providing the right care and the right environment for such patients. He was deeply engaged in this work and personally took on the task of establishing the Friends of Sobell House with the Charity Commission. I decided to get involved by becoming the first secretary, while Alistair became its first Chairman.

After two or three years, I stepped away from the Friends. One of the highlights of my time there was inviting Dame Cicely Saunders, as she later became, to Oxford to have supper with us and to speak about the importance of palliative care for people in the final days of their lives. She was quite formidable, and her approach to end of life care was revolutionary at the time. One of the most important lessons she shared was the need to manage people’s pain and make them comfortable. If you are pain free, you can enjoy your life.

We had a number of local individuals who took a very active role in supporting the Friends of Sobell House. We attended the formal opening of the hospice in May 1976, which was very exciting, and even more so for me because I had been involved in the design, planning, and construction of this wonderful unit.

Fifty years after the opening, it is amazing to see how much has been achieved by so many dedicated people, and how many patients and families have benefited. The influence of Sobell House has spread across our local hospitals, demonstrated by the increased focus on end of life care in general wards and by the principles of ensuring that patients have a good death, whether in hospital or at home. The influence of Sobell House has been extensive and deeply significant in achieving where we are today. Of course, the support of the Friends of Sobell House over the years has made an enormous difference and made all of this possible.

So, well done to everyone involved. I am thrilled to have been the first secretary of the Friends of Sobell House.