St Christopher’s was delighted to welcome Helen Hayes MP, Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, to its Sydenham site on Friday 28 November 2025.
Ms Hayes met with Steve Smith, Chief Executive at St Christopher’s, as well as clinical, community and leadership teams to discuss the hospice’s wide range of services. She shared insights into the experiences and challenges faced by her constituents.
During her visit, Ms Hayes met hospice staff, trainees and patients, hearing first-hand about their experiences of care and the hospice’s approach to holistic support, rehabilitation and bereavement services. Clinicians and the hospice’s community engagement team highlighted the quality of community outreach and the ways St Christopher’s enhances patient comfort and wellbeing.
Joy Ross, Lead Palliative Care Consultant, and Hermione Dawson, Clinical Team Lead and Ward Manager led an extended tour of the inpatient and clinical areas. This included conversations with a trainee doctor on placement, who explained the value of hospice experience in strengthening palliative care within primary care settings.
Helen Hayes MP says: “It was a real privilege to visit St Christopher’s and see first-hand the care and support provided to patients, families, and the wider community. The dedication of staff and volunteers is incredibly impressive. I was particularly interested in the hospice’s work with children, young people and schools, and the broader community engagement that helps tackle inequalities in end-of-life care.”
Mary Hodgson, Director of Inclusion and Social Innovation at St Christopher’s, spoke about the hospice’s community action and bereavement programmes, including work with local schools and families.
Last year, St Christopher’s provided bereavement support for more than 1000 adults and children across its services.
Steve Smith, Chief Executive at St Christopher’s says: “It was a pleasure to host Helen Hayes at our Sydenham site. Helen has long supported the work of the hospice, and we look forward a continued relationship. Helen’s visit offered an excellent opportunity to showcase both our achievements, and the ongoing funding challenges hospices face locally and nationally.”
