Claire House launches new campaign to bring children’s hospice care closer to home

Claire House delighted as planning permission granted for West Derby children’s hospice

Families supported by Claire House Children’s Hospice are celebrating today after planning permission was granted for a new 24/7 hospice in Liverpool.

The plans would transform the charity’s West Derby site into a full children’s hospice, bringing vital care closer to home for hundreds of seriously ill babies, children and young adults across Liverpool and surrounding areas.

For many families, distance has long been one of the biggest barriers to accessing hospice care when they need it most. Long, exhausting journeys to the charity’s Wirral hospice have often meant families spending precious time travelling, rather than being together.

Mum Kate Jones, from Warrington, whose son Josh was supported by Claire House for most of his life, shared: “We always wanted our son Josh to pass at Claire House, but he was too ill to be transferred to the Wirral site. It was just too far.

“If the West Derby site was up and running, we absolutely would have preferred him to be transferred so he could pass there instead of in the hospital. We wouldn’t have chosen a hospital for him.”

With 60% of Claire House referrals now coming from Liverpool and the surrounding area, today’s announcement marks a major milestone in ensuring children get the expert care they need, right where they need it.

There are many children and families who need Claire House that the charity is not currently reaching, 80% of which are in Liverpool and the surrounding areas. Building Claire House Liverpool would allow them to reach everyone who needs help.

David Pastor, CEO of Claire House, said: “We are absolutely delighted that planning permission has now been approved. Every day at Claire House, I’m reminded that when a baby, child or young adult is seriously ill, there is only one chance to get their care right. We cannot change a diagnosis or stop children dying but we can make sure families feel supported, understood, and surrounded by compassion when it matters most.

“Distance should never stand in the way of families getting the support they need at the hardest moments of their lives. This new hospice will mean less time travelling, and more time together – closer to home, closer to loved ones, and closer to the care families deserve.”

For families like Jill Jones’s from Orrell Park, Liverpool, who is mum to four-year-old Joshy Farrell, the new Liverpool hospice isn’t just about convenience, it’s the reassurance and proximity they desperately need during their most vulnerable moments.

“Any temperature means a 48‑hour hospital stay for Joshy – so having Claire House Liverpool just 15 minutes from home, and right next to Alder Hey, gives us the reassurance we desperately need.

“So many children need this place, it benefits everyone. It’s reassuring for families to know if their child had complex needs, they’d be in safe hands. It’s a community.

“Liverpool gets behind everything, I know we can make this happen.”

The approved plans would see the sensitive transformation of a former monastery into a warm, welcoming and purpose-built hospice environment that combines modern clinical care with thoughtful, child‑centred design. The historic building and its surrounding gardens would be carefully repurposed to create a place of comfort, calm and compassion for families at the most difficult times of their lives.

While significant support is still needed to bring the vision fully to life, the newly approved development would include:

• 24/7 specialist care, respite stays and end-of-life support
• Bedrooms for much-needed overnight respite
• Private Butterfly Suites where families can spend time with their child after they have died
• Therapeutic spaces, including a hydrotherapy pool
• Emotional and practical support services for the whole family

The West Derby building, gifted to Claire House in 2017, is located close to Alder Hey and Liverpool Women’s hospitals. It already offers therapies, counselling, and day care, but today’s decision means it could now become the full hospice Liverpool families urgently need.

Claire House will now move into the next phase, raising the funds and support needed to bring this essential facility into a full hospice for Liverpool’s children and families.