Image caption The hospice has been rebuilt since the fire nearly three years ago

A hospice where three residents were killed by a fire has been fined £250,000 for its "woefully inadequate" safety measures.

The blaze at St Michael's Hospice in St Leonards, East Sussex, led to the evacuation of 23 people.

But, Hove Crown Court heard, staff were ill-trained to deal with such an event, and the main fire exit was locked.

Judge Christine Henson, who slammed the hospice's safety measures, also ordered it to pay £165,000 in costs.

Managers at the hospice admitted two fire safety breaches, and its denial of 11 other indictments was accepted by the court.

'State of panic'

Pearl Spencer, 78, Jill Moon, 62, and David Denness, 81, died in hospital after suffering smoke inhalation.

Patient Rodney Smith, 67, was charged with arson after the fire on 11 July 2015 but died in jail before his trial.

In pre-sentence reports for the prosecution, Mr Sailesh Mehta said it was clear that staff had "no appropriate training for the evacuation of residents, holes in the ceilings allowed smoke to spread, locked exit doors could not be readily opened".

He said the main fire exit was locked, and there was no proper evacuation training for staff.

"Nurses were in a state of panic - they tried to stop it [the fire] with towels to no avail.

"Some patients had to be put on a small filing cabinet to wheel them along as there were not enough wheelchairs available," he said.

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In its defence, the hospice said it was unaware of the defects "ruthlessly exposed" by the fire, and it accepted "blameworthiness for failing to make the premises as safe as it should have been".

Court proceedings were brought by East Sussex Fire Authority in May last year.

Image caption Twenty-three elderly patients, some of whom were terminally ill, and nine members of staff were in the hospice

The hospice said the fine would be paid from reserves and costs from elsewhere.

It was reduced by 30% due to St Michael's charitable status.

Mr Smith was a terminally ill patient at the hospice when the blaze broke out.

Twenty-three elderly patients, some of whom were terminally ill, and nine members of staff were forced to leave the building.

Ten residents had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

In a statement on Wednesday, chair of the hospice Irene Dibben, and chief executive Karen Clarke said: "We remain truly sorry for the pain and anguish caused by the fire.

"We also share the pain of our own staff and volunteers, many of whom are still coming to terms with the full devastation of the fire.

"We need to decide as an organisation the best way to settle the fine. In light of this, there will be no further comment at this stage."</s>St Michael’s Hospice has been handed a substantial fine for breaching fire safety law, as part of an investigation into the devastating fire in 2015.

At a court hearing today (Wednesday, March 28), the charity received a £250,000 fine after pleading guilty earlier this month to two breaches in fire safety laws.

The breaches were of Articles 8(1)(a) and 8(1)(b) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. These charges relate to the hospice’s overall failure to take general fire precautions to ensure the safety of its employees and non-employees. The hospice pleaded not guilty to 11 other breaches.

In a joint statement released after the judge's decision, chair of St Michael’s Hospice Irene Dibben and chief executive Karen Clarke said:“We remain truly sorry for the pain and anguish caused by the fire. We also share the pain of our own staff and volunteers, many of whom are still coming to terms with the full devastation of the fire.

“We need to decide as an organisation the best way to settle the fine. In light of this, there will be no further comment at this stage.”

A pre-inquest review - due to be held in May - is set to look into the deaths of three people who died in the days following the hospice fire in 2015. A man was later charged with arson with intent to endanger life. The terminally-ill man, who was a patient at the hospice at the time of the fire, died days before the court case. No further charges are being brought by the police.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Mark Andrews said: “Fire safety in hospices, care homes or any similar property that provide rest, care or accommodation for vulnerable people is critical. The law is there to protect the residents and staff from the effects of fires and in this case the fire safety provision fell well below the standard expected in such a property where residents would otherwise expect to be safe.

"We now hope this serves as a reminder to people responsible for the housing and care of vulnerable people of the importance of fire safety measures in their buildings."

According to East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS), Judge Henson described the failures in fire safety as 'obvious and avoidable' during the Lewes Crown Court hearing.

ESFRS say she went onto describe how the fire 'ruthlessly exposed the failures', such as locked doors, lack of evacuation training and equipment, and holes in the ceiling which allowed smoke to spread throughout the building.

She added that a mock evacuation and basic training would have helped identify some of these deficiencies, and it shouldn’t have taken a fire to highlight these issues, ESFRS say.

An ESFRS spokesman said: "The Judge emphasised that Hospice care must extend to keeping patients safe from fire risk and the charitable status of the Hospice cannot dilute the requirements for fire safety. The burden of compliance lies with the Hospice, which it should have been aware of since the Fire Safety Order has been around for over a decade and therefore it cannot pass responsibility to others."

For more information on the court case go to: https://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/st-michael-s-hospice-pleads-guilty-to-two-breaches-in-fire-safety-laws-1-8404735</s>Today is a very special day in the history of St Barnabas House hospice as it is exactly 50 years since we officially launched our first-ever capital appeal to build the original hospice on Columbia Drive.

The St Barnabas Appeal, as it was called, aimed to raise £100,000 to build a facility to accommodate 30 patients with life-limiting illnesses, although the cost eventually rose to £183,107.

The appeal was launched at a public meeting at Worthing Assembly Hall on Friday, March 29, 1968, chaired by Dr Francis Gusterson who later became the hospice’s first medical director.

Dr Gusterson was an inspirational man and without him St Barnabas House would likely not exist in the same way that it does today.

The official launch of the St Barnabas Appeal was attended by a number of important local figures, as well as Dame Cicely Saunders, widely recognised as being the founder of the hospice movement.

The meeting took place just a few months after St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, the first hospice, opened its doors to patients.

Dame Saunders described caring for people in advanced stages of illness as being incredibly satisfying work, not sad or depressing.

She also spoke about the importance of hospices providing relief from pain and distress, comfort and compassion, words which still ring true today.

Of course, St Barnabas House has changed a huge amount since our doors first opened in 1973, and seven years ago we relocated to a new state-of-the-art building on Titnore Lane.

{xxx|Read more about the history of St Barnabas House hospice by clicking here|click here}.
• Benefit from an ongoing discount on your Herald or Littlehampton Gazette by joining our voucher membership scheme. Once you’ve subscribed we’ll send you dated vouchers which can be exchanged for your paper at any news outlet. To save money on your Herald or Littlehampton Gazette simply click here.</s>Today marks a significant date in the history of Worthing hospice St Barnabas House – it is exactly 50 years since the appeal to support the building of the original hospice was launched.

The St Barnabas Appeal for £100,000 to build a new facility to accommodate around 30 patients with life-limiting illnesses was officially launched at a public meeting at Worthing Assembly Hall on Friday, March 29, 1968.

Originally named the St Barnabas Home, the hospice was based in Columbia Drive in Durrington.

It was inspired by Dr Francis Gusterson, a consultant anaesthetist at Worthing and Southlands Hospitals, who chaired the appeal.

The launch of the appeal was attended by Dame Cicely Saunders, widely recognised as being the founder of the hospice movement, who spoke about the opening of St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham four months previously.

She told an audience of 250 people: “The work among people in advanced stages of illness is not sad depressing work – it is incredibly satisfying. What these people want is relief from pain and distress, comfort and compassion. They need longer-term nursing than can be given in a busy general ward.”

At the meeting, which occurred the day after the Budget, Dr Gusterson remarked: “I am told this is a bad time to launch an appeal. It is always a bad time to launch appeals. Everybody is worried about their standards of living. What I am hoping to interest people in is other people’s standards of dying.”

Dr Raymond Franks, consultant in geriatrics to the Worthing Group Hospitals, first proposed the idea of a terminal home for local cancer patients.

He spotted the significance of the high number of cancer deaths in the Worthing area occurring at home or in commercial nursing homes during the mid-1960s.

Simultaneously, trustees of the Worthing Remembrance Fund were finding it difficult to allocate gifts they received meaningfully.

In 1966 they approached Dr Gusterson to propose he taken on chairmanship of an appeal to build a home in Worthing.

A 12-strong committee, with Burnham Roe as treasurer, was formed as a result, and this led to the launch of the St Barnabas’ Appeal, appropriately named after the Saint of Consolation who sold all of his lands to give money to the church of Antioch when they were in great need.

The total required to complete the project was £100,000 – more than £1.5million today – but the cost eventually rose to £183,107.

The organisation was officially formed on Friday, April 5, 1968, and it was registered as a charity on Thursday, October 3, 1968.

St Barnabas was one of the early pioneers of the hospice movement and when it first opened its doors on Monday, January 1, 1973, it became the first such establishment in the south east of England, outside London.

As the hospice has evolved since, its services have developed accordingly to reflect the changing needs of patients and their families.

In 2011 the hospice moved into a new facility in Titnore Lane.

Since then the organisation has launched a Hospice at Home service which enables patients to have end-of-life care in their own homes during the day and through the difficult night-time hours.

Two years ago it introduced a disease specific nursing team enabling it to provide specialist care for patients with renal failure, liver disease, respiratory disease, advanced heart failure and dementia.

Since the hospice first opened in 1973, St Barnabas has provided care for more than 39,000 patients and countless family members.

Today it provides specialist palliative care for more than 1,500 patients each year.

Dr Gusterson served as medical director until his retirement on January 31, 1981, and immediately became vice president.

Later that year he died peacefully in his sleep.

Following Dr Gusterson’s retirement, Dr Alan Kingsbury was appointed as successor and continued in the role of medical director until March 1993.

Dr Kingsbury attended the St Barnabas House annual general meeting in November 2017, and was special guest at the Christmas tree light switch-on in December which he attended with former matron Margaret Stroud.

He commented: “We were both at St Barnabas from day one, and one of the things I find so wonderful when I come back here is the spirit that we had right in those early days, which was for the care of people who are so seriously ill. This is still maintained today, providing the very best on all occasions.

“Dr Gusterson was told by one of his fundraisers that we would need lots of money, and we certainly did to start off with. We still need it now, perhaps even more so, to provide that quality of palliative care that is so necessary.”

Read more about the history of St Barnabas House at www.stbh.org.uk/our-history.

ST BARNABAS: A special day in the history of our hospice

---
• Benefit from an ongoing discount on your Herald or Littlehampton Gazette by joining our voucher membership scheme. Once you've subscribed we'll send you dated vouchers which can be exchanged for your paper at any news outlet. To save money on your Herald or Littlehampton Gazette simply click here.</s>The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered police to send back the inmates of a hospice near here, who were shifted recently following allegations of ill-treatment, as it expressed shock over the death of 12 of the destitute.

A division bench comprising Justice C T Selvam and Justice N Sathishkumar gave the interim order on a petition by the St Joseph’s Hospice in neighbouring Kancheepuram district after the court was informed that 12 of the 292 inmates had died since being shifted “forcibly” by the police late last month.

The government counsel submitted that as per police reports, 12 of the shifted inmates had died.

Justice Selvam said, “The court is shocked to hear about the demise of the 12.”

The bench ordered the District Social Welfare Officer to appear before it on Wednesday and explain the cause of the deaths.

In the habeas corpus petition seeking production of the inmates, petitioner Father V Thomas, managing director of the hospice, sought a direction to police to produce all the inmates who were taken away from the home and kept ‘captive’.

The hospice for destitute “on the verge of dying” came under the scanner last month for alleged unauthorised disposal of the dead and alleged ill treatment of the inmates.

The petitioner claimed that the shifted inmates had been kept in illegal custody and their whereabouts were not known.

“... they were not given food and basic requirements. Many of them were dropped on roads. One among them returned to the hospice on his own,” he submitted.

Observing that the hospice had been doing good social work and questioning the need of the authorities to interfere with its functioning, the bench expressed concern over the taking away of 294 inmates from the hospice recently, without the knowledge and permission of the district Collector.

Justice Selvam said: “Even in our own house, we may hesitate to serve the elderly, whereas the hospice with a good intention has been serving the orphaned, aged people.” According to the petitioner, the institution, established in 2011, was providing care and protection to dying destitute, who were orphans or abandoned by their families.

Thomas alleged that a local politician, in collusion with a contractor who undertook construction work in the hospice, had demanded money from him. When he refused to give the money, he had lodged ‘anonymous’ complaints against the facility.

As a result of the complaints, the inmates of the home were shifted to some unknown places by the officials, the petitioner said.</s>There’s a chance to find out more about local hospice care services, at an information session later this month.

Representatives from Rennie Grove Hospice Care and The Hospice of St Francis are joining up with Tring’s Rothschild House patient group to hold the event from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday April 19 at High Street Baptist Church, Tring.

The evening is designed to give people with life-limiting illness, their families and friends more information about the range of services available to them.

It will start with a joint presentation from Rennie Grove and The Hospice of St Francis, covering the services provided by each organisation, who they are for and how to access them.

There will plenty of opportunities to ask questions and chat to representatives of both hospice organisations as well as the Rothschild House patient group.

Anyone with an interest in end-of-life care, and those who would like to know more about it, are welcome to attend.

Light refreshmens will be available.</s>A tradition stretching back more than 1,000 years was continued yesterday (Wednesday March 28) as the new High Sheriffs of West and East Sussex began their year in office with a formal Declaration Ceremony at Lewes Crown Court.

Mrs Caroline Nicholls DL, from Worthing in West Sussex, and Major General John Moore-Bick CBE DL, who lives in Ewhurst Green in East Sussex, will both serve as The Queen’s representatives for law and order in their counties, lending active support to the Judiciary, the Police and other emergency services.

They will also take an active part in supporting and promoting local voluntary organisations.

The two High Sheriffs were joined in court by the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, Mrs Susan Pyper and The Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, Mr Peter Field, Chief Constable of Sussex Giles York QPM, senior Judges and representatives of the emergency services, county dignitaries and family and friends.

Each delivered their Oath of Declaration in front of the Presiding High Court Judge for the South-Eastern Circuit, The Hon Mr Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith.

The voluntary appointment is for one year; Mrs Nicholls succeeds Lady Emma Barnard, of Parham House, in West Sussex, while Major General Moore-Bick takes over from Mrs Maureen Chowen, from Brighton.

Mrs Nicholls is a journalist and a former communications director at Gatwick Airport; she plays an active part in the county’s voluntary sector, including as a founder Trustee of Sussex Community Foundation and is a Deputy Lieutenant for West Sussex.

She said: “It is a great honour and a privilege to be selected - and I look forward in particular this year to highlight those who support and encourage young people to combat disadvantage and fulfill their potential, as well as those who protect us and keep us safe. It will be a fascinating and rewarding year.”

Major General Moore-Bick was a Royal Engineer, a bridge builder, linguist and international staff officer, whose roots lie in agriculture and forestry. Returning to his native Sussex, he has held several military appointments, is a Deputy Lieutenant and a governor of Plumpton College.

He said: “Growing up in East Sussex, its wonderful landscape impressed itself upon me early in life and remained in my mind as “HOME” when in many far-off places. East Sussex supported me through school and university and the Honourable Office of High Sheriff gives me another opportunity to serve those who are setting out in life and support those who underpin the secure framework of our county. I look forward to meeting many old friends and making many new, building bridges between those who can work more effectively together for the public good.”

Each High Sheriff appoints an Under Sheriff for the year to assist them in their duties.

This year’s Under Sheriff for both counties is Mr Kevin Smyth, from Ditchling, a solicitor, commercial mediator, a Trustee of the Martlets Hospice in Hove and a former Chairman of Governors of Worth School.

He too delivered his Oath of Declaration in front of the Presiding Judge.

This follows the retirement of Kevin Taylor, from Arundel, who served as Under Sheriff for the Bailiwick of Sussex, covering East and West Sussex, for six years.

The High Sheriffs have also appointed a Chaplain for each county: the Rev Canon Jonathan Baldwin, from Gatwick, for West Sussex and the Rev Paul Mundy, from Newick, for East Sussex.</s>The Irish have St Patrick and the Scots have St Andrew and Sussex has St Richard.

Our patron saint was the Bishop of Chichester from 1197 to 1253. Today, his day is June 16, which is also Sussex Day. His Feast Day was April 3, but the Church changed it as the original date clashed with Easter time.

Sussex is a very old county. There were Saxon kings long before England was ever thought of!

Sussex Day is the one day set aside for the whole of Sussex to simply take a look at our wonderful county.

Read more letters from this week’s Herald and Gazette
• Benefit from an ongoing discount on your Herald or Littlehampton Gazette by joining our voucher membership scheme. Once you’ve subscribed we’ll send you dated vouchers which can be exchanged for your paper at any news outlet. To save money on your Herald or Littlehampton Gazette simply click here.</s>St Andrew’s Hospice will welcome patients to their £9million refurbished building next week – with staff describing the transformed facility as “far exceeding all expectations”.

Patients will move back into the Airdrie hospice’s renovated Henderson Street site from next Wednesday following more than a year of reconstruction works to ensure that it is fit for the 21st century.

Volunteers, staff and supporters are currently being taken on tours of the upgraded facility, which includes both single and shared rooms, state-of-the-art technology, improved visitor facilities and courtyard garden access from every room.

Hospice fundraisers are delighted with the results of the renovation, for which planning first began five years ago – and are reminding supporters that there is still more than £3million to be raised to complete the required fundraising for the project.

St Andrew’s chief executive Bruce High told the Advertiser: “All the feedback has been extremely positive and we can’t wait to get back.

“We’re really looking forward to working in an environment where everything has been thought of and I can’t see how anybody could fail to be impressed.

“We’ve seen it every step of the way and now it’s finally finished you realise how far it’s come; and despite having seen everything along the way, we’re looking at it through new eyes now that it’s all come together and people are visiting to see it for the first time.

“The design is thinking about being in a patient’s or visitor’s position.

“ Everything is more spacious and comfortable. There’s more privacy for families who can feel that they aren’t being overheard or impinging on others. And things like having a fridge for each patient makes a difference in creating a home-from-home atmosphere.

“Our staff are blown away by it and have given great feedback. It’s a relaxing environment and of all those who’ve visited to see round the new hospice this week, there hasn’t been a negative word from anybody.”

He added of the work of contractors CCG, architects JDDK, structural engineers Woolgen Hunter and mechanical engineers Atelier 10: “It took two years to design the new hospice, it was taken back to a blank canvas.

“It’s nice to see the whole thing come together and it’s a really exciting time in the hospice’s history.”

The hospice has been based at its Henderson Street site since 1986 – and it was back in 2013 that staff and trustees began to discuss an upgrade to improve its rooms, garden access, and necessary heating, lighting and plumbing improvements.

Fundraising for the capital appeal began in earnest in 2015, and patients moved out to temporary facilities set up in two wards at Wester Moffat hospital in Airdrie in January 2017 as rebuilding work got underway.

Now the transformed hospice building has 21 single rooms, each with their own outdoor access which allows beds to be taken outside, plus personal TVs, fridges, patient hoists and storage for medical equipment and people’s possessions.

The rooms include two larger spaces funded by Macmillan for patients with young families to visit and stay, while there are also three multi-occupancy rooms for patients who prefer to share, each with their own private spaces.

Other features of the new hospice are an assisted spa bathroom, physio gym, family sitting rooms, the conservatory – which can be used by families and also hosts special events for patients – plus the chapel and the tranquility room, with stained glass window and a view of the gardens.

Click here for more from Monklands

The visitor entrance now gives direct access to the Dove shop and cafe, while patients now have a separate entrance to reach the rooms directly.

Capital appeal fundraising chairman Gibby Cox said the new hospice is “beyond my best expectations – I don’t have the superlatives and I don’t know if there’s another one in Scotland that can better it”.

The former lord lieutenant of Lanarkshire, who is from Chapelhall, told the Advertiser: “I think perhaps one of the best things is that every patient in their bed can be immediately taken out into the fresh air with every room having an opening to the outside, which is a huge thing.

“Seeing the new place will be eye-opening to those who know the hospice. It’s been a long journey, but it’s definitely worth it as it’s quite amazing.”

He stressed that although building work is complete, the fundraising work is not yet done, adding: “Although patients are coming back next week, the appeal isn’t finished – there’s still a lot of money to find and the final phase of fundraising is as critical as the first.

“There’s no way that it’s completed; the next phase is the most important, but the people of Lanarkshire are so generous and very big-hearted, and I don’t think there are many families in the area who haven’t been touched by the hospice’s work.

“Our fundraising team are great and are full of imagination and ideas.

“ I’m extremely proud of them and grateful to all who’ve supported the appeal.”

The capital appeal has so far raised £5.75m of the £9m required for the refurbishment and fundraising work continues – alongside the hospice’s regular requirement to raise £88,000 per week to fund its care services.

Appeal director Karen McFadyen said: “The refurbished hospice is beautiful and completely transformed – the care provided was always wonderful and now there’s an environment to match to deliver it in.

“Everybody is doing their bit to raise funds and hopefully by getting to this stage where people can see the amazing change, people will be inspired to do something in support of the appeal.”

Monklands residents can book places on tours of the renovated hospice, taking place today and tomorrow before patients return next week, by emailing colin.gardiner@standrews.scot.nhs.uk or calling 01236 766951.
English judge Christine Henson fines St. Michael's Hospice in St. Leonards, at East Sussex, over the July 2015 fire in which three residents died.