Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

nurses

What is a hospice?

Hospice care aims to meet the practical, physical, social, spiritual and emotional needs of patients with a life-limiting illness. Meeting the ‘whole needs’ of patients in this way is called ‘palliative care’.

Care, help and support is available from diagnosis until a patient dies. We don’t provide care only for people in the last few days of life.

Additionally, the hospice offers care and support to those people important to our patients throughout the course of a patient’s illness and after their death.

We offer support to people both within the community in their own homes and in the hospice building.

Palliative care means treating the ‘whole needs’ of someone who has been diagnosed with a condition that can no longer be cured, including care at the end of life. Palliative care involves treating not only the physical symptoms of their illness but providing emotional, social and spiritual care. It also means that, as well as focusing on the patient’s wellbeing, care and support is also offered to their loved ones.

The hospice provides a range of services led by a multi-professional team and supported by volunteers. This includes:

  • pain and symptom management
  • end of life care
  • practical support and advice
  • complementary therapies
  • physiotherapy and occupational therapy
  • counselling and bereavement support
  • spiritual care
  • planning for your future care
  • support for those people important to our patients

Our patients must be a resident of Wigan Borough and aged 18 years or over. We accept patients who have a life-limiting illness which has been diagnosed as palliative.

Most of our patients receive care in their own homes delivered by our community nursing teams. We also support patients living in nursing homes and in our Inpatient Unit at the hospice building in Hindley.

Referrals to the hospice come from GPs, hospital specialists, District Nurses and other community professionals. Please talk to your healthcare professional about referring yourself or relative/loved one to the hospice if you feel you or they would benefit from hospice care.

You cannot refer yourself or a relative/loved one to any hospice service with the exception of our day service, the Oak Centre. To refer yourself to the Oak Centre please fill in the self-referral form, telephone the team on 01942 525566 or email: oakcentre@wlh.org.uk

When patients come into the hospice it may be so that their pain or symptoms can be better managed, for emotional support or for end of life care.

We have 14 individual patient bedrooms, all with views onto our beautiful gardens. You will find that the hospice is a welcoming, bright and friendly place to be.

We are a short-stay unit and the average length of time someone spends on our Inpatient Unit is 16 days.

No, this is a myth which exists around hospices. Patients come into the hospice so that their symptoms can be managed, for end of life care, short-term care following a hospital discharge and family support. Around 40% of our patients go home after an inpatient stay.

People also come to the hospice for appointments including counselling, bereavement support, complementary therapy and outpatient clinics.

We care for people with cancer but also people with a wide range of other life-limiting illnesses. People with neurological and respiratory conditions often access hospice care.

Although people may access hospice care at a difficult time of their lives, our hospice is warm and modern with beautiful gardens and outdoor spaces.

To take a look around the hospice please see our virtual tour. (When you click the link the tour can be found at the bottom of the page)

At the hospice we have doctors and nurses, counsellors and therapists who are experts in their fields. They have skills in palliative and end of life care which may not be available from other services.

Our care is provided at no cost to the users of our services.

No, we are a registered charity and only receive around a third of our funding from the NHS. The rest comes from our local community. We raise the rest through donations, fundraising, the Hospice Lottery, our shops and legacy income. We currently have to raise almost £10,000 every day so that we can continue to deliver all of our services.

You can support us in the following ways:

  • Make a donation either over the phone, by post, by popping in to see us or via text message. To give £5 by text message, for example, text HSPC01 £5 to 70070
  • Donate online now
  • Donate goods we can sell to one of our shops across the Borough (or shop there!)
  • Take part in one of the fundraising events we organise throughout the year or organise your own fundraising. See our fundraising page for information on fundraising for us
  • Join our weekly Hospice Lottery
  • Donate your time as a volunteer
  • Support the hospice in your workplace
  • Remember us with a legacy in your will

Find out more about how your support helps

Many myths exist around hospices which, unfortunately, can lead to people who need our care being too afraid to access it.

Please download our leaflet 8 Myths about Hospices for further information.