Cranford Hospice seeks community approval before move

Cranford Hospice wants to move to Chesterhope Station. Photo/File

Five public meetings will be held on the recommendation Cranford Hospice should move to Chesterhope Station.

The Cranford Hospice Foundation, Cranford Hospice Trust and the Hawke's Bay District Health Board together announced last month they commissioned a business case regarding future-proofing the specialist palliative care facility.

Cranford Hospice Foundation chairman John Buck said Chesterhope Station was the preferred location, made available thanks to a "generous offer" of land and buildings by the Joan Fernie Charitable Trust, which owns the station.

A report by property strategist Turley & Co said the age, construction and location of the hospice's current site in Hastings' Knight St placed limitations on growth, expansion and modernisation.

Mostpatients referred to Cranford Hospice are supported to die in their own home, including residential care, but the hospice facility is an important part of the service.

It provides a base for providing inpatient care for patients with complex medical conditions that can no longer be managed in their home, as well as community services in the form of visits to deliver care to patients in their homes and support to their family.

It also serves as a base for onsite and community-based education and training sessions for primary palliative care providers.

Cranford Hospice CEO Janice Byford-Jones said all were welcome at the meetings because Cranford was "very much a community-based organisation".

"We strongly believe that any proposed changes should be discussed with those who may be impacted," she said.

"It is essential we are on this path of change together to ensure we have a sustainable, quality service to support the Hawke's Bay community who are dying and their whanau. We really want to hear from you."

The public meetings are being held at:

Pakowhai - Thursday, October 28, Pakowhai School, 5.30pm
Napier - Wednesday, October 4, Taradale Town Hall, 5.30
Hastings - Thursday, October 5, Focal Point Cinema Meeting Room, 5pm
Wairoa - Wednesday, October 11, Venue to be confirmed, 5.30pm
Central Hawke's Bay - Thursday, October 12, St Andrews Hall, 5.30pm