By Chris Benson, Director of Clinical Services and Family Support, St Peter’s Hospice
The government recently announced the development of a new national plan for improving care for people with serious illness. Stephen Kinnock, the Minister for Care, announced that it is to be published in Spring 2026 and will align with the NHS’ long-term plan for improving care to shift care from hospitals to community settings.
At St Peter’s, our work has always been about helping people live as fully as possible, with dignity and comfort. Yet demand for our services is increasing with an aging population, and we know that if we’re to support people when they need us most, we must find new ways to offer support much earlier, not just in someone’s final days.
We opened our first Community Hub this year, hosted at the Beehive Community Centre in Whitehall. The hub not only perfectly aligns with the government’s vision for greater community care, but it also marks a wider strategic shift for us as an organisation, which encourages hospice care to be present in people’s lives long before they reach crisis point.
Why earlier matters
At present, like many hospices across the country, we’re only reaching around a third of the people who could benefit from our care. Too often, contact with hospice services happens late and only when symptoms escalate, when families are exhausted or when the emotional toll has already taken hold. By then, the opportunities to provide practical guidance or support meaningful living have diminished.
Our Community Hub is a step towards changing that and providing help in the community accessible to all. By collaborating with other local healthcare providers and placing support in communities we can meet people where they already are: closer to home and at a time when the right conversation or bit of advice can make all the difference.
Hubs as safe, social spaces
The Hub at Whitehall is open every Monday morning, but its value goes far beyond scheduled drop-in hours. It offers something people consistently tell us they need but struggle to find: a safe, welcoming space to talk openly about serious illness.
Whether someone is living with a life-limiting illness or supporting a loved one, adjusting to possible limitations or simply trying to understand what the future may hold, the Hub offers emotional support, wellbeing activities, and practical advice. Most importantly, it offers connection. People meet others who genuinely understand what they are facing, and that sense of being seen and supported can be profoundly strengthening.
Part of a bigger vision
The government’s new national plan highlights several challenges, such as shortages in trained staff, gaps in round-the-clock support, and the fact that many people don’t get help early enough. Our Hub is one of the ways we’re starting to address these issues locally.
We hope this will be the first of several Hubs across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, bringing our care out of the hospice building and into everyday community spaces. This helps break down the misconception that hospice support is only for someone’s final days.
Together, we can reach more people
We welcome adults of all backgrounds, ages and conditions, as well as families and carers, and volunteers will be at the heart of each Hub, helping to create warm and welcoming spaces alongside our clinical teams.
Above all, we want people to know they are not alone. Serious illness brings uncertainty, but with earlier support, people can feel more in control, informed and more able to live well despite the challenges they face.
The opening of our first Community Hub is a milestone for St Peter’s, and we hope our patients and the community embrace it whether by visiting, volunteering or helping us spread the word.
More information can be found at Hospice Community Hub - St Peter's Hospice
