Four years ago the hospice made the decision to build a new facility that would allow for the care of patients overnight and, having moved into a new building, it is now phasing the opening of the bedrooms.

Annually, the hospice supports over 700 patients – with a 1,000 more attendances in 2014 than in 2013 - and it is anticipated that this number will double in the next few years as it continues to expand its services, which currently include Day Hospice (specialist nursing care, which also includes creative arts, music therapy, aromatherapy and other holistic treatments), Lymphoedema Clinic, Breathlessness Clinic, Physiotherapy Services, carers group and other support services.

Lewis-Manning Hospice opened in 1992 thanks to the late Mrs Marjorie Lewis-Manning, a long-time resident of Poole, who, after losing her husband to lung cancer dedicated her life to cancer-related causes and ultimately left instructions in her will that her home be converted into a hospice.

In keeping with Marjorie’s original wishes and vision, and in response to increasing incidence of cancer diagnoses and other life-limiting illnesses in Dorset, the hospice moved into a brand new state of the art facility in 2012 at Crichel Mount Road in Lilliput, which benefits from stunning views of Poole Harbour and Brownsea Island, and provides a unique environment which enhances the care provided at Lewis-Manning. Equally, the location offers a base for exercise and activities in an area of outstanding natural beauty. For some patients this is their spiritual connection and the view, often referred to by patients as “therapy itself”, offers comfort, distraction and peace in difficult times. The new building was officially opened by HRH The Countess of Wessex on 2^nd May 2014 and includes 15 en-suite bedrooms on the ground floor, all with their own private terrace, offering respite, rehabilitation and end of life care.

A diagnosis changes someone’s life dramatically, so Lewis-Manning’s strategy and mission is to put patient and carer needs at the centre and from there develop services to meet unmet needs to help them cope with their illness and the changes it may bring. It is perfectly placed to support people through their illness to help them live well for the rest of their lives, however long or short that might be. Lewis-Manning promotes acceptance, hope and peace of mind in a safe and calming environment and now has the potential to become a truly holistic community.

Having provided a clinical model of care for 22 years, Lewis-Manning is now developing services, groups and courses which put a greater emphasis on well-being through social care as patients live longer in the palliative stage of their illness.

There is a connection between being “in good spirits” and being physically well. Consequently, Lewis-Manning takes a holistic approach to care and encourages patient participate in group therapies which help promote independence and self-management as well as feelings of joy. Also, central to the hospice’s “Time to Care” ethos, patients have the opportunity for regular private one-to-one discussions with a specialist palliative care nurse, if they need it, which is important in helping to identify changes in a disease’s progression and the techniques needed to manage it.

All of the services offered at Lewis-Manning House are free to patients and their carers but approximately only 20% of funding comes via its contract with NHS Dorset CCG. This therefore means the remaining £65,000 a month needs to be raised by the hospice through fundraising initiatives, donations, legacies and its eight local hospice shops. However, as the hospice begins opening its beds these costs will double, so the support of the local community is vital to the continuation of the hospice and the life changing work that is being done there.

More people are living longer with cancer, and need help to adjust to their changed circumstances. Dorset also has a higher than average-aged population, and, as a response, Lewis-Manning wants to provide care and rehabilitation for people living with cancer, as well as care at the end of life, in a more innovative and meaningful way. The hospice aims to make it possible for patients in East Dorset (an area which includes as far north as Blandford, as far South as Swanage, West to Wareham and Wool and East to parts of Bournemouth and Poole) to have support for longer through rehabilitation and respite programmes and a new choice at the end of life.