Major Changes Coming to Cornwall’s Oldest Hospice – What You Need to Know

Mount Edgcumbe Hospice, Cornwall’s oldest hospice, is set to undergo a major £1.1 million refurbishment to mark 45 years of providing care in the county.

45 Years of Care and a New Chapter

Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell opened its doors to patclasients in October 1980, becoming the first hospice of its kind in Cornwall. Now, to celebrate its 45th anniversary, Cornwall Hospice Care has announced a major redevelopment project to ensure the facility remains fit for the future.

Paul Brinsley, Chief Executive of Cornwall Hospice Care, said:
“In 2010/11 we undertook a major £1.3m extension at St Julia’s Hospice in Hayle, demolishing a dilapidated cottage and building the outpatients, reception and seminar rooms, as well as extending the inpatient ward to provide additional bedrooms. We’ve continued to invest in the building by installing solar panels and improved insulation during the last year. We now have the opportunity to invest in Mount Edgcumbe Hospice to bring the building up to the patient privacy and dignity standard of St Julia’s by replacing the 4 bedded bays with single bedrooms.”

New Facilities to Improve Patient Care

The refurbishment plans include the creation of a Therapies Hub in the current outpatients area, and a new entrance specifically for admitting patients. The current reception will remain available for visitors, staff, and volunteers, while a new patient reception area will introduce two assessment beds, forming a new crisis intervention suite.

Paul added:
“We’ll also create a Therapies Hub in the current outpatients area, as well as a new entrance to admit patients. The current reception will remain for visitors, staff and volunteers, but the new patient reception will allow us to introduce two beds where patients will be assessed before being admitted. This will be our new crisis intervention suite. This all follows work completed in the last year to instal solar panels and improve insulation.”

Fully Funded and Ready to Start

Thanks to a successful fundraising campaign and support from a Government capital grant and individual major donations, the refurbishment is fully funded. David Renwick, volunteer Chair of Trustees at Cornwall Hospice Care, explained:
“We can do all this following a successful Trusts and Grants fundraising campaign, which has been carried out over the last year. Together with support from the capital grant recently announced by the Government and individual major donations, we’re now able to start the refurbishment project. The upgrade will cost £1.1m and represents a significant investment for our charity. Our ambition is to ensure we’re ‘Fit For The Future’ and able to continue to provide the highest quality of care for patients and their families in Cornwall.”

Timeline and Contractors

Work is set to begin on Tuesday 27th May 2025 and is expected to continue into early 2026. The project will be carried out by Classic Builders (South West) Ltd, based in Redruth, with architectural services provided by Paul Pethick MCIAT of Studio JB Architectural Services Ltd.

Paul acknowledged the temporary disruption this refurbishment may cause:
“We appreciate this refurbishment will bring some disruption to our services for a short period. Patients may be sent to St Julia’s Hospice and non-clinical staff will be encouraged to work from our other office sites or from home for a brief time over the summer. We believe the limited disruption will be more than worth it for the future care of our patients and their families at Mount Edgcumbe Hospice.”

Learn More About the Hospice’s History

You can read more about the history of Mount Edgcumbe Hospice, Cornwall’s oldest hospice, HERE.