Key Points
- Official Groundbreaking: Actress and hospice ambassador Michelle Collins officially broke ground on a £10 million inpatient unit rebuild on 24 September 2026.
- Regional Service Footprint: The modernised specialist facility will provide end-of-life and palliative care services to patients and families across Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey.
- Completion Timeline: Construction work is underway at the Finchley site in Woodside Park, with the opening scheduled for autumn 2027.
- Historical Anniversary: The ceremony commemorated 40 years of North London Hospice history, featuring founders, honorary presidents, and trustees.
- Dignity and Modern Facilities: The project aims to replace aging infrastructure to offer modern single en-suite rooms and upgraded palliative spaces.
Barnet (North London News) September 30, 2026 – Construction has officially commenced on a major £10 million redevelopment project for the North London Hospice inpatient unit. Actress and hospice ambassador Michelle Collins put on a hard hat and protective builders’ boots to perform the official groundbreaking ceremony at the Woodside Park site in Finchley on September 24, 2026. The landmark capital project represents a transformation of specialist end-of-life and palliative care infrastructure serving residents across the London boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey. The completed medical facility is slated to open its doors to patients and their loved ones in autumn 2027.
What took place at the official groundbreaking ceremony?
As reported by Robyn Bennett of the Ham & High and Enfield Independent, Michelle Collins, who was en route to film scenes for EastEnders, attended the site work launch. Commenting on her participation in the construction launch, Michelle Collins joked that “the last time she saw a shovel, it was being used to hit her over the head”.
The ceremonial start of construction works served a dual purpose, acting as a milestone for future care provision while celebrating four decades of community support. As documented by Robyn Bennett of the Ham & High, the groundbreaking event commemorated the hospice’s 40-year history. Key figures present at the site ceremony included Harriet Copperman, one of the founders of the North London Hospice; Penny Gluckstein and Geoffrey Hill, honorary presidents; and Simon Morris MBE, chair of the board of trustees. Civic leaders were also represented, with local councillor Zahra Beg attending the shovel-in-the-ground milestone alongside senior hospice clinical and operational staff, including Kinga Kruk, Declan Carroll, Aisling Cloherty, Jo Hempstead, Ginny Lewis, Brenda Knoble, Warren Roiter, and Jan Anticoni.
Why is a £10m capital investment needed for the inpatient unit?
As reported by Robyn Bennett of the Ham & High, the current inpatient unit rebuild is designed to deliver a modern environment for specialist palliative care. The existing inpatient site, located in Woodside Park, Finchley, originally opened in 1992 following initial construction efforts in the mid-1980s. Over more than three decades of continuous 24/7 service, the clinical demands and privacy requirements for end-of-life care have evolved significantly.
The £10 million scheme will equip the charity with purpose-built clinical spaces. The focus of the architectural rebuild centres on privacy, family accessibility, and physical comfort, transitioning older ward models into private spaces designed to accommodate complex medical needs alongside family stays. In addition to inpatient beds, the overhaul will refresh facilities utilized by multi-disciplinary care teams who provide symptom control, psychological counseling, and bereavement therapy.
Background of the particular development after the news
North London Hospice was formally established in 1984 to address a severe deficiency in aftercare services following the 1981 closure of St. Columbus Hospital, which had served as the sole long-stay facility in north London. Initial community fundraising enabled the charity to launch home care support before constructing its first dedicated inpatient unit in Finchley, which opened in 1992.
Historically, the original 1985 building was erected on a minimal construction budget compared to peer hospice facilities of similar size. Although partial renovations were undertaken in 2002, the growth in population across North London and the rising complexity of terminal conditions necessitated a comprehensive capital overhaul. Today, the charity supports more than 3,500 patients and their families annually across Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey. Operational services include community palliative care teams, outpatients at the Health & Wellbeing Centre in Winchmore Hill, and 24-hour inpatient nursing care. The £10 million rebuild represents the largest single infrastructure investment in the organisation’s 40-year history.
Prediction: How this development can affect patients, families, and healthcare services in North London
The construction of the new £10 million inpatient unit will directly transform care delivery across the tri-borough catchments of Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey upon its completion in autumn 2027.
For patients requiring end-of-life care, the state-of-the-art facility will provide elevated standards of dignity, infection control, and personal space through modern single rooms and enhanced symptom-management infrastructure. Families and carers will experience improved facilities for staying alongside loved ones during critical final days, easing emotional burdens during end-of-life transitions.
For the broader NHS health economy across North London, the updated inpatient facility will reduce pressure on local acute hospital beds at NHS trusts such as the Royal Free London and North Middlesex University Hospital. By providing specialized palliative beds in a purpose-built environment, the hospice can streamline hospital discharges for terminally ill individuals, ensuring acute care resources are optimized while patients receive tailored, compassionate care tailored to their wishes.
