Legacy gift allows St Barnabas Hospice to develop new Wellbeing Hub

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After receiving a legacy gift of £393,000, St Barnabas Hospice is set to open a state-of-the-art Wellbeing Hub in Boston.

In 2019 philanthropist Stefan Novak left his legacy to the Hospice to increase services in Boston, and after careful consideration, the Hospice’s executives have announced plans for a multi-functional ‘Wellbeing Hub’ to replace its previous site on Green Lane.

Work on the redevelopment will start in Spring 2021.

Stefan Novak was known in Lincolnshire for his ‘zest for life’ despite losing his sight at the age of 10, and his accomplishments included a successful career in investment banking, creating audiobooks for the blind and charity fundraising.

The new site, to be named ‘Novak House’ will see a complete renovation and repurposing of the existing site and will be dedicated to Mr Novak in recognition of his work and his gift to the Hospice.

Mandy Irons, Head of Wellbeing at St Barnabas Hospice, said: “Helping people to live as well as possible for as long as possible while supporting their families is so important to everyone at St Barnabas.

“Stefan Novak and his family have enabled us to create a custom-designed hub that brings our wellbeing and clinical care together, which will help us to achieve the very best we can for local people.

“Novak House will be our flagship wellbeing hub and our blueprint for developing further hubs across the county.”

The Wellbeing Hub will support patients and their families with physical, spiritual, emotional and psychological needs through its community and wellbeing teams.

Appointments will also be available with palliative care consultants, palliative rehabilitation teams and talking therapies teams.

The hub will also boast relaxation areas and outdoor space for families to take some much-needed time out.

The new facility will also provide a base for the St Barnabas community team to care for patients and their families in their own homes.

St Barnabas Hospice CEO, Chris Wheway said: “2020 has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone, including St Barnabas Hospice.

“We have lost a substantial amount of funds through our shop closures and cancelled fundraising events and have a lot of work to do to recoup these losses.

“I am proud to say that our clinical and non-clinical team have kept working throughout the Pandemic.

“The development of our services in Boston has been required for a long time, and we are excited to see the project move forward and benefit all our patients and staff in South Lincolnshire.”

Click Here to find out more about St Barnabas Hospice.