HOW WE WORK
HOW WE WORK
NOAH'S ARK HOSPICE
has been providing care and support for babies and children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions since 2006. Working across London, it also supports families during their child’s life and through bereavement. GMSP supported 294 seriously unwell babies and children, their siblings and parents/carers. It has also funded one-to-one specialist care sessions.
1,200
children with life-limiting or life threatening conditions helped
Supporting children living with 92 conditions under 14 diagnostic categories
CHALLENGE
Due to medical advances, the number of children living with complex conditions is increasing - and the need to provide these children with complex care and support is increasing in turn.
Having a seriously unwell child can have a severe impact on the whole family. Research by ‘Contact a Family’ found that 53 per cent of parents say that caring for a disabled child has caused major difficulties for, or the breakdown of, their relationship; and 72 per cent of carers experience poor mental health. A recent study by the charity ‘Dying Matters’ found that only
16 per cent of families surveyed agreed that there was enough support for people dealing with death, dying and bereavement.
ACTION
Noah’s Ark is growing its existing Hospice-at- Home services, where families receive support in their own homes. It is also partnering with all local neonatal and paediatric wards to provide music therapy, as well as a crèche service in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
In addition, Noah’s Ark is constructing The Ark – a children’s hospice building for North and Central London. Built on a 7.5 acre nature reserve in Barnet, The Ark will be a home-from-home for seriously unwell children, where they will be given the time and space to be children and not just patients. It will provide a space for relaxation and adventure, and will allow children and their families to connect with others facing similar challenges.
Crucially, it will provide children’s palliative care services that are not currently available in the area through the specialised setting of a children’s hospice, including 24-hour end-of-life-care and overnight short breaks for children in acute need. There will also be music, art and hydrotherapy jacuzzi rooms.