Hannah House

We work with children who have complex health needs requiring a significant amount of nursing care.  We provide short breaks for families and their children (3 to 18 years of age) with complex health needs. Both day respite for children aged 3 to 5 and overnight stays for children aged 5+.

Hannah House is a purpose built self-contained ‘home from home’ style facility which provides planned or emergency short break care for children with complex health needs. It was built as a result of a charitable donation from a parent (Hannah’s Mum, Maureen Chapman) and the Leeds Health Authority agreed to fund the ongoing running costs.

The building is both innovative and award winning in design with a circular multi-sensory room as the focal point. The building has six bedrooms, a quiet room, a sitting room, an open plan dining or activity area and an enclosed garden and patio area with adapted playground equipment.

Who’s it for?

We offer short break care to children up to their 18th birthday, who have complex health needs requiring a significant amount of nursing care, and who either live within the Leeds Metropolitan Boundary or are registered with a Leeds GP. They must have a completed care assessment and meet the criteria of the Leeds Children’s Nursing dependency score.

What we offer?

We provide short breaks for up to 7 nights at a time in a safe and caring environment where we support the child’s normal life and broaden their life experiences. Children attend their own school during term time, at other times the emphasis is on play, fun and enjoyment. We aim to continue the care and routines you follow at home to ensure your child has an enjoyable stay.

Children are cared for by registered nurses 24 hours a day. They are assisted by an experienced team of senior healthcare support workers. Each child has a named nurse who is a point of contact for the family. We work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team, for example:

• Physiotherapists
• Occupational therapists
• Dietitians
• Medical staff
• Social workers
• Inclusion school nurses

Facilities at Hannah House

Hannah House has a high staff to child ratio and therefore we can offer individualised care and support with the emphasis being on making the stay enjoyable for the child.

Hannah House has some excellent facilities for the children to enjoy.  We have a sensory room and various areas for soft play.  The children have a TV lounge and a quiet area to relax in. The children each have their own bedroom for the length of their stay, and these are designed by theme. You may find your child staying in the woodland room, space room, the polar bear room, or even in the aquatic room!  Each room also has its own smart TV and DAB radio.  We also have Wi-Fi for the children to access and an iPad for their use. The children are welcome to bring in any toys or comforters for their room that make them feel more settled.  We have an outdoor play area with a roundabout and swing which is fully accessible for wheelchairs. The children can participate in crafts, painting and take part in all kinds of seasonal activities, for example, summer picnics in the park.

Food is cooked on the premises so individual tastes and dietary requirements can be accommodated. If parents wish, they can send in individual meals for their child.

We are fortunate to have a minibus at Hannah House which enables us to take the children on trips out, either to local attractions such as bowling or the cinema, or further afield to shows, wildlife parks or the seaside. The children often go out to Rothwell Park which is just across the road from us and to Swithen’s farm, which is also close by.

Referral information

We only accept referrals from health or social care practitioner for patients registered with a Leeds GP, aged 3 to 17years old and require a significant amount of nursing care daily.

Referrals from within Leeds Community Healthcare are completed through the ‘internal referral launcher’ on SystmOne.

All other service providers will need to request the referral form from community.childrensnursing@nhs.net