You can search for your nearest hospice and palliative care services or other organisation offering information and support via our online directories.
Many people wish to be cared for in their own home. This is made possible by community palliative care nurses and Hospice at Home services.
A number of hospice and palliative care teams now provide a Hospice at Home service. Hospice at Home services are provided by a multiprofessional team and allow people to receive hospice care services in their own homes; this may be for end of life or respite care, or sometimes it may be during a time of crisis. Some teams can offer 24-hour nursing care.
Community palliative care nurses offer specialist care including: advice on pain and symptom control, hands-on nursing, practical advice and emotional support. They can be accessed through district nurses or a person’s GP.
Marie Curie Nurses provide hands-on, round-the-clock nursing care for people with cancer in their own homes. They are available throughout the UK and their support can be requested by a district nurse.
Hospices and palliative care services will provide support for carers in the community too; this may be through a support and information group or by providing one-to-one advice.
People may sometimes be admitted for inpatient care at an early stage of their illness for a short period of intensive care followed by ongoing support. It could be for rehabilitation after treatment, or for control of symptoms such as pain, nausea or vomiting. People may also be admitted to a hospice during the very final stages of their illness. Generally people only stay in an inpatient unit for a short period of time, perhaps 10 to 14 days, and will then return to their home or other care setting.
Day therapy gives people the opportunity to spend time in a hospice without being admitted as an inpatient – allowing them to access the care and support they need while continuing to live at home. The care and support offered includes medical and nursing care, rehabilitation, creative therapies and complementary therapies.
Day therapy also gives people the opportunity to meet others in a similar situation. Transport to and from day therapy may be provided by the hospice.
There are palliative care teams which work within hospitals alongside surgeons, physicians, nurses and other health and social care professionals. Their role is to support the hospital staff by providing education, training and specialist advice on pain and symptom control.
The team will also provide emotional support directly to individuals and their carers, as well as advising staff on planning people’s discharge home or transfer to another care setting such as a hospice, community hospital or care home.
The team providing this service is sometimes known as a Hospital Palliative Care Team, Macmillan Support Team or Symptom Control Team. In some hospitals there is a whole team, including doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains, while in others a single nurse provides the service.
International
There are now hospice and palliative care initiatives throughout the world. The Hospice information service can help to put you in touch with these services, or you can use our international directory to find services and national palliative care organisations around the world.
Find out more
You can find out more about:
