St Helena Hospice is a vibrant community-based organisation dedicated to providing a range of palliative care services for people living in our community with a life-limiting illness.

St Helena assesses each patient by looking at the ‘whole person’. That is, their physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs – this is known as a holistic approach and includes a patient’s family, friends and carers.  Support is designed to enable the individual to live in comfort with the dignity, a degree of independence and control of life which is appropriate.

The Hospice provides a range of specialist palliative care services through community, day and inpatient services working from sites in Colchester and Clacton. The interdisciplinary team includes:

• specialist doctors and nurses
• physiotherapists and occupational therapists
• social workers
• counsellors
• chaplains
• complementary therapists
• bereavement team.  

To learn more about the work of St Helena Hospice including opportunities to volunteer or donate to support their work, please visit the website at www.sthelenahopsice.org.uk or telephone the Fundraising Office on 01206 791740

Registered charity no:280919.

Our history

St Helena was founded in 1979 when a group of medical practitioners saw a need for a centre caring for the terminally ill. 

In 1984, after five years fundraising, the hospice first opened its doors to the community of North East Essex. 

At this time it had a 15 bed in-patient unit at its base in Colchester and two community nurses visiting patients in their homes. 

Today it has grown, because of the community’s need, to not only have a 15 bed in-patient unit but also to have two purpose-built day centres.  The first is located in Colchester and the second, opened only in 2002, in Clacton. 

At the Day Centres patients receive all in-patient services but only come in for a day and then return home.

The hospice also now has a team of six community nurses visiting patients in their homes.

In addition to the patient services St Helena also has an education centre which provides training to nurses and anyone involved in caring for the terminally ill.  This centre educates up to Degree level.