Rebuilding Rachel House
into a world-class, flexible, and welcoming space that meets the most complex needs of today's families.
More than a hospice
Because every family deserves a real choice
Right now, too many families face the death of their child without the care and support they need in place that feels right for them. This appeal will help transform children's palliative care across Scotland, so families can choose care at home, in hospital, or in hospice, and no family faces that journey alone.
A lifeline under pressure
In the last ten years the number of children living with life shortening conditions has risen by 40%. Their needs are complex and require round the clock care impacting on family finances and security at a time when they need stability and assurance.
Our NHS plays a vital role in providing healthcare for these children. CHAS brings much more. Modern medical science means children who once would not have survived are living, often for years, with multiple and complex needs. Without investment our hospices will not be able to keep up with clinical advances.
For those in remote or rural areas, the nearest children's hospice may be hours away. Others may not want a hospice setting at all. The choice of how and where a child dies - at home, in hospital, or in a hospice - should be theirs. For too many families in Scotland, that choice does not exist.
CHAS is determined to change that.
It begins with you
With your help, we will raise £20 million to deliver the most ambitious expansion of children’s hospice care in Scotland’s history. It’s 30 years since CHAS opened Scotland’s first ever Children’s Hospice, Rachel House in Kinross, followed a decade later by our second and more modern hospice, Robin House in Balloch. Both buildings need essential upgrading. Your generosity connects the dots across children’s palliative care in Scotland, bringing vital support to families in hospices, in hospitals and at home.
What your support will fund
With £20 million, turning the dreams of families we support into reality will mean:
Renewing Robin House
ensuring it remains a world-class home away from home.
Reimagining our services
expanding our reach so every family in Scotland has real choice, whether that's care in a hospice, at home, or in hospital.
Rebuilding Rachel House
Rachel House has brought peace to thousands since HRH The Princess Royal opened its doors in 1996. Now three decades later, it urgently needs an upgrade.
This is more than a redesign, it’s a transformation. To meet the growing and changing needs of patients and families to ensure children and families can get world-class care, not just today, but for the next 30 years.
Working hand-in-hand with families and young people, Rachel House is being rebuilt. It’s a world first innovative approach putting children and young people, many with disabilities and complex conditions, at the heart of the redrawing of Scotland’s first ever children’s hospice.
This £17 million strategic investment is the central aspect of the More Than a Hospice Appeal. CHAS has committed to this upgrade and has ringfenced some funds in reserves, but significant funding is sought.
Work will start on site in 2026 to see the building redesigned and reimagined to address:
• Inadequate space for complex medical equipment
• Cramped rooms that limit family time
• No dedicated areas for quiet, grieving, or counselling.
Renewing Robin House
Nestled a stone’s throw from Loch Lomond, Robin House opened its doors in 2005. Built on a large site with generous gardens Robin House was our next generation hospice and still retains high medical standards.
Our investment in Robin House has been guided by the voices of those who know best; children, parents and carers who understand what makes care feel like home.
However, 20 years is a long time and Robin House requires £2 million to enhance its facilities, assure its world-class status, and ensure it is ready to meet the changing needs of families.
Our vision, shaped by the people who use Robin House will:
• Expand accessible spaces for children with high needs
• Build sensory rooms that stimulate, soothe and comfort
• Create new therapy and family support spaces
They asked us where we would like Amelia to die. We’d always said we wanted her to be at home but in that moment we just knew we should go to Robin House. It was so peaceful.
Reimagining our services
End of life is no longer just about a building. It’s about being where children and families want to be:
- In the living room, for specialist CHAS at Home visits and care at the end of life
- In the hospital, with CHAS specialists working alongside NHS colleagues
- On call, 24/7, for a family in crisis.
With £1 million we will ensure families and children can access the palliative care they choose, wherever they want and need.
Making home the heart of care
We will expand CHAS at Home to make end-of-life care at home a real, supported choice for more families. In partnership with the NHS, we will pilot Scotland’s first fully integrated 24/7 model of paediatric palliative care in Glasgow.
Strengthening hospice care in hospitals
We will embed specialist CHAS teams within key children’s hospitals across Scotland, ensuring dignity, continuity and expert end-of-life care in clinical settings. Working alongside NHS partners, hospice-level compassion and expertise will follow each child in hospital, not just in hospice.
A national specialist network
We will extend our clinical advisory line nationwide, so that wherever a child lives, local NHS and CHAS professionals can access immediate guidance from a paediatric palliative care consultant.
