Hospices
East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse
Church Lane, Ipswich IP6 0LB
Overview
East Anglia's Children's Hospices, operating The Treehouse in Ipswich, is a specialist provider of palliative and end-of-life care services for children and young people across the East Anglia region. The organisation serves families caring for children with life-limiting conditions, offering comprehensive support that extends beyond medical care to encompass emotional, practical and spiritual needs. The Treehouse facility provides a home-like environment where children can receive respite care, symptom management and specialist nursing support.
The hospice serves a vital function within the community by enabling families to access professional care while maintaining normal family life where possible. The service includes day care provisions, overnight stays and emergency support when needed. Staff work closely with families to understand individual needs and preferences, ensuring care is personalised and compassionate. The organisation operates through a combination of NHS funding and charitable support, allowing them to offer free services to families throughout East Anglia.
Frequently Asked Questions
East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse in Ipswich provides specialist palliative care for people with life-limiting conditions. Services may include inpatient care, day hospice services, hospice at home (care in your own home), outpatient clinics, bereavement support for families, lymphoedema clinic, complementary therapies, and counselling. All care focuses on comfort, quality of life, and dignity. Contact 01473 714999 for information about available services.
Yes, all hospice care at East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse is provided free of charge to patients and their families, regardless of financial circumstances. Hospices receive some NHS funding but rely heavily on charitable donations, fundraising, retail shops, and legacies to fund their services. It costs millions of pounds each year to run a hospice, with a significant proportion raised through community support.
Referrals to East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse are usually made by your GP, hospital consultant, or district nurse. You or your family can also contact East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse directly on 01473 714999 to discuss a referral. Referrals are based on clinical need — anyone with a life-limiting condition can be considered. You do not have to have cancer to be referred; hospices care for people with any advanced illness including heart failure, COPD, motor neurone disease, and dementia.
No, hospice care is not just about end-of-life care. Many patients visit East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse for symptom management (pain relief, breathlessness, nausea), rehabilitation and support to stay as well as possible, respite stays to give carers a break, and day hospice activities and therapies. Some patients attend for weeks or months and then return home. Hospice care aims to help you live as fully and comfortably as possible.
Yes, East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse welcomes visitors and families. Visiting is usually flexible, with no strict visiting hours in the inpatient unit. Family rooms and overnight facilities may be available for relatives who wish to stay close. Children are welcome to visit. The hospice environment is designed to be calm, comfortable, and homelike. Staff will support families throughout their loved one's stay.
East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse may offer a Hospice at Home service, bringing specialist palliative care to patients in their own homes. This may include visits from specialist nurses, overnight care and sitting services, symptom management, practical support, and emotional support for patients and families. Hospice at Home allows people to be cared for and, if they wish, to die in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.
The day hospice at East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse provides a programme of care and activities for patients who live at home. You may attend one or two days per week for medical review and symptom management, complementary therapies (massage, aromatherapy, reflexology), creative activities (art, music), social interaction and peer support, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and psychological support. Transport to and from the day hospice may be arranged.
Yes, East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse provides bereavement support for families and loved ones after a patient has died. This may include one-to-one counselling, bereavement support groups, telephone support, memorial services, and children and young people's bereavement services. Support is available regardless of whether the person died at the hospice or elsewhere. Contact 01473 714999 for information about bereavement services.
East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse supports people with any life-limiting condition, not just cancer. Conditions include advanced cancer, heart failure, COPD and other lung diseases, motor neurone disease (MND), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, advanced dementia, kidney failure, and liver failure. Referral is based on clinical need, and the hospice team works alongside your GP and hospital team.
Yes, East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse can help you with advance care planning — documenting your wishes for future care. This may include an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (living will), Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare, preferred place of care and death, and a ReSPECT form (Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment). Having these conversations and documents in place ensures your wishes are known and respected.
East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse may offer complementary therapies including massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, Reiki, acupuncture, mindfulness and relaxation, creative arts therapy, and music therapy. These therapies complement medical treatment and can help with pain, anxiety, sleep, and overall wellbeing. All therapies are provided by qualified practitioners and are free to patients.
You can support East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), The Treehouse by making a donation, volunteering your time, shopping at or donating to charity shops, taking part in fundraising events, leaving a gift in your will (legacy giving), organising your own fundraising activity, or becoming a regular donor. Contact 01473 714999 or visit the website to find out more about supporting your local hospice.