Children's Hospices Across Scotland

Children's Hospices Across Scotland, commonly known as CHAS, is a Scottish registered charity providing hospice and palliative-care services to children and young people with life-shortening conditions, together with support for their parents, siblings and wider families. Its services are offered without charge to families across Scotland and are delivered in specialist children's hospices, family homes and hospitals. The organisation was established in February 1992 as the Children's Hospice Association Scotland by professionals and parents who had experienced the shortage of dedicated children's hospice provision in Scotland. Nancy Blaik, who had travelled to England to obtain hospice care for a child, was among the founding figures and became the organisation's founding director. CHAS's early development was supported by substantial public fundraising. A reader appeal associated with the Daily Record and Sunday Mail raised £4 million towards the construction of Scotland's first children's hospice, helping make Rachel House possible. Rachel House, in Kinross, began construction in December 1994 and opened in March 1996. The site was made available by the Montgomery family of Kinross House, while the MacRobert Trust provided a major donation that led to the hospice being named after Rachel, Lady MacRobert. Rachel House provides end-of-life care, symptom management, respite and short-break support. CHAS later developed Robin House near Balloch, close to Loch Lomond, as Scotland's second children's hospice. A public appeal supported by Sunday Post readers raised the £10 million required for the project; Robin House opened in August 2005. CHAS also extends care beyond its hospice buildings. A home-care service began in 2003 as Rachel House at Home and was renamed CHAS at Home in 2008. It has since developed into a Scotland-wide service operating through regional hubs, providing planned visits, emergency end-of-life support and assistance to families in their own homes. CHAS works with NHS services in hospitals as well, employing specialist nurses and supporting consultant-level and multidisciplinary palliative-care posts. Its hospital work includes services in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, including a hospital-based team established at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow in 2019. The charity's multidisciplinary approach brings together doctors, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, play specialists and other professionals. Support may address clinical symptoms, emotional wellbeing, family relationships, bereavement, practical needs and the preferences of children and young people. CHAS also contributes to research and policy discussions concerning the prevalence and experience of childhood life-shortening conditions. Its research partnerships have included the University of Stirling and the University of York, while later prevalence work involved NHS Scotland's Information Services Division. In 2017 the organisation adopted the name Children's Hospices Across Scotland, reflecting the breadth of its services and its national reach. In the 2021/22 financial year, the organisation reported spending £19.8 million on its activities, with funding coming primarily from public donations and supplemented by NHS health boards and local authorities. CHAS operates Rachel House, Robin House, CHAS at Home, hospital-based services, offices and fundraising and retail operations. It also owns the Ardoch estate through the subsidiary Ardoch Loch Lomond Ltd. The organisation remains an active Scottish charity whose purpose is to make hospice and palliative care available to every child and family who needs and wants it.

Children's Hospices Across Scotland began in February 1992 under its original name, Children's Hospice Association Scotland. It was formed by healthcare professionals and parents of children with life-shortening conditions who recognised that families in Scotland often had to travel elsewhere in the United Kingdom to access specialist children's hospice care. Nancy Blaik, who had personal experience of seeking hospice support in England, was one of the founding figures and became the organisation's founding director. The first major institutional objective was the creation of a dedicated children's hospice in Scotland. A large public appeal led by the Daily Record and Sunday Mail raised £4 million toward the construction of Rachel House. The project also benefited from land donated by the Montgomery family, owners of Kinross House, and a £2 million contribution from the MacRobert Trust. Construction began in December 1994, and Rachel House opened in March 1996 after the first turf had been cut by celebrity supporter Phillip Schofield with children from Kinross Primary School. The hospice was named for Rachel, Lady MacRobert. Rachel House established a model combining end-of-life care with short breaks and respite for children and young people and their families. CHAS subsequently expanded its geographic reach and service capacity. A second fundraising campaign began in 2001 for Robin House near Balloch and Loch Lomond. Supported by readers of the Sunday Post, the appeal raised the £10 million required to complete the project. Construction began in 2003, with Ewan McGregor and Sharleen Spiteri participating in the groundbreaking event, and Robin House opened in August 2005. Care outside the hospices became an increasingly important part of CHAS's work. Rachel House at Home began in 2003, initially operating from premises associated with Highland Hospice in Inverness. The service moved to Ardross Terrace in Inverness in 2009 and was renamed CHAS at Home in December 2008. A further base opened in Aberdeen in 2011. Over time, CHAS at Home developed into a service covering all Scottish local authority areas through four regional hubs, delivering planned care and urgent end-of-life support in families' homes. A volunteer-led home-support service was also introduced in east central Scotland. Because many children with life-shortening conditions die in hospital, CHAS developed formal partnerships and professional roles within NHS settings. The organisation employs Diana Children's Nurses in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow and has supported consultant-level posts with NHS Lothian, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and NHS Ayrshire and Arran. In 2019 it established a new hospital-based team at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. CHAS also contributed to work on neonatal palliative care in Edinburgh. Research and policy engagement have accompanied service development. In 2007, CHAS commissioned research with the Cancer Care Research Centre at the University of Stirling on research priorities and the existing home-care service. CHAS staff contributed to the consultation behind the Scottish Government's 2008 action plan, Living and Dying Well. A further University of Stirling study published in 2011 examined the experiences and symptoms of children and young people with life-shortening conditions. In 2015, CHAS commissioned the University of York to estimate the prevalence of children requiring palliative care in Scotland. The resulting ChiSP work was described as the first study of its kind focused on a single nation. An update, ChiSP2, was commissioned from NHS Scotland's Information Services Division in 2019 and reported a growing population of children and young people with life-shortening conditions. In 2017, the charity adopted its current name, Children's Hospices Across Scotland. The change reflected its operation across multiple settings rather than a single hospice association. By 2018/19, CHAS reported supporting hundreds of children and their families through hospice services and approximately 1,200 home-care visits across Scotland. In 2021, the charity received the Ardoch estate, which is operated through Ardoch Loch Lomond Ltd. Its wider infrastructure includes the two hospices, home and hospital services, offices, fundraising operations and charity shops. CHAS continues to fund its free services primarily through public donations, with additional support from NHS health boards and local authorities.

1. 2021Ardoch estate gifted to CHAS

   The charity received the Ardoch estate, subsequently operated through Ardoch Loch Lomond Ltd.

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2. 2019Glasgow hospital team established

   CHAS created a hospital-based children's palliative-care team at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

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3. 2017National rebrand

   The charity changed its name to Children's Hospices Across Scotland.

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4. 2011Aberdeen home-care base opens

   CHAS at Home established a base in Aberdeen to extend home support.

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5. 2008Rachel House at Home becomes CHAS at Home

   The home-care service adopted the CHAS at Home name.

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6. 2005Robin House opens

   Robin House opened in August near Balloch and Loch Lomond.

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7. 2003CHAS at Home predecessor launches

   Rachel House at Home began delivering hospice support in families' homes.

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8. 2001Robin House fundraising appeal begins

   A public appeal began to finance Scotland's second children's hospice near Balloch.

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9. 1996Rachel House opens

   Rachel House opened in March, providing hospice, end-of-life and short-break care.

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10. 1994Construction of Rachel House begins

    Work began on Scotland's first dedicated children's hospice in Kinross.

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11. 1992Organisation founded

    Children's Hospice Association Scotland was established by professionals and parents of children with life-shortening conditions.

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A Scotland-wide children's hospice charity combining specialist hospice care, home support, hospital-based palliative care and family services, delivered free of charge.

• Rachel HouseChildren's hospice1996

  CHAS's first children's hospice, located in Kinross. Rachel House provides specialist end-of-life care, symptom support, planned short breaks and respite for children and young people with life-shortening conditions, while also supporting parents, siblings and wider family members.

• Robin HouseChildren's hospice2005

  CHAS's second children's hospice, located near Balloch and Loch Lomond. Robin House provides end-of-life and short-break services in a dedicated environment designed for children, young people and their families.

• CHAS at HomeHome-based hospice care2008

  A Scotland-wide home-care service that supports families in their own homes. CHAS at Home provides planned visits, nursing and palliative support, and emergency end-of-life care through regional hubs serving every Scottish local authority area.

• CHAS hospital servicesHospital-based palliative care2019

  Hospital-based services delivered with NHS partners, including Diana Children's Nurses, specialist palliative-care teams and consultant-level support. The service helps integrate children's hospice expertise into hospital care and supports families when children are seriously ill.

• 2001Robin House fundraising appeal

  Scotland

  An appeal supported by Sunday Post readers sought the £10 million required to build a second Scottish children's hospice.

  Outcome. The target was raised and Robin House opened near Balloch in 2005.

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• 1994Rachel House public appeal

  Scotland

  A Daily Record and Sunday Mail reader appeal raised £4 million toward the construction of Rachel House, Scotland's first children's hospice.

  Outcome. The fundraising contributed to completion of the Kinross hospice, which opened in 1996.

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• 2019Expand hospital-based children's palliative careStrategy

  Many children with life-shortening conditions die in hospital, making collaboration between hospice specialists and NHS teams an important part of national care provision.

  What changed. CHAS established a hospital-based team at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow and continued specialist nursing and consultant-level collaborations with NHS organisations.

  Aftermath. The move strengthened CHAS's role beyond its two hospice sites and supported more integrated children's palliative care in hospitals.

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• 2017Rebrand as Children's Hospices Across ScotlandStrategy

  CHAS had developed from a hospice association into a national provider working in hospices, homes and hospitals.

  What changed. The organisation adopted the name Children's Hospices Across Scotland.

  Aftermath. The new name emphasised national coverage and the breadth of the charity's care model.

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• 2008Rename the home-care service as CHAS at HomeStrategy

  The organisation's home-care work had originally operated as Rachel House at Home and was expanding beyond the immediate area of Rachel House.

  What changed. CHAS renamed the service CHAS at Home to align it with the charity's wider identity and geographic scope.

  Aftermath. The service later expanded through regional bases and ultimately supported families across every Scottish local authority area.

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• 2022CHAS reports 2021/22 activity and funding profile

  For the 2021/22 financial year, CHAS reported spending £19.8 million on its activities and receiving funding from public donations, NHS health boards and local authorities.

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• 2019CHAS establishes a hospital-based palliative-care team in Glasgow

  A new CHAS team was established at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, described as Scotland's first children's hospital-based palliative-care team.

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• 2019CHAS reports national home-care coverage and expanded family support

  CHAS at Home was operating across every Scottish local authority area, while a volunteer-led home-support service had been established in east central Scotland.

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• 2017CHAS adopts the name Children's Hospices Across Scotland

  The organisation rebranded from Children's Hospice Association Scotland to Children's Hospices Across Scotland to reflect its broader national network and range of services.

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1. Children's Hospices Across Scotland
2. Children's Hospices Across Scotland official website