About the Hospice

Wigan and Leigh Hospice has been providing palliative care for adult patients across Wigan Borough for 40 years.

We are a registered charity and care for over 1,200 people with a life-limiting illness every year. We also provide care and support for those people important to our patients.

Most of our patients receive care in their own homes although we also provide care for people living in various care settings, such as nursing or care homes, and at the hospice in Hindley.

We provide skilled care, help and support over an extended period of time to people living with a life-limiting illness.

We work closely with GPs, District Nurses, nursing home staff, students and other health and social care professionals and share our knowledge and skills through formal education programmes (find out more about our Learning Hub). By sharing our expertise with other professionals, their patients will benefit even if they do not directly access hospice services.

Our vision is that every adult with palliative and end of life care needs and those people most important to them within the Wigan Borough will receive timely and equitable access to high quality services, delivered by appropriately trained staff and volunteers.

Providing our services

We do not charge for our care and rely on the local community to continue to support the hospice.
We are fortunate to be supported by around 500 volunteers whose invaluable support enables us to deliver a wide range of services.

Only around one third of our funding comes from government. The rest comes from the generosity of local people through charitable giving including donations, fundraising, legacies, the hospice lottery and our hospice shops.

The hospice needs to raise £18,500 every day from our local community in order to carry on providing all of our services.

For more information please see how you can support the hospice.

Please also see how your support helps

Hospice Facts

  • We make no charge for any of our services.
  • The hospice began caring for patients in their own homes in 1981 and opened an Inpatient Unit in 1983 at a former vicarage in Poolstock.
  • We serve a population of around 320,000 people from across Wigan and Leigh.
  • We support more than 1,200 patients with a life-limiting illness every year. We also support those people closest to our patients.
  • We care for around 900 patients in their own homes or in care homes every year.
  • We have 14 beds on the Inpatient Unit each in single rooms.
  • Around 250 patients are admitted to our Inpatient Unit every year. Around 40% go home after receiving care.
  • Our care is not just restricted to patients with a cancer diagnosis but extends to support patients with a wide range of life-limiting illnesses such as neurological and respiratory conditions.
  • Hospice care aims to meet the practical, physical, social, spiritual and emotional needs of our patients.

 

From 2022 to 2023 we:

  • Cared for over 1,200 patients
  • Admitted 267 people to the Inpatient Unit for an average stay of 15 days
  • 2305 patients were supported by the Hospice Nurse Specialist Team
  • Hospice in your Home made 2597 visits to patients
  • 276 people were supported with complementary therapies
  • Our Counselling team had 234 people accessing their services
  • Our bereavement support team supported 358 people

Regulation of the Hospice

Wigan and Leigh Hospice is regulated by the Care Quality Commission and the Charity Commission.

Hospice Trustees

The trustees are all volunteers who ensure proper governance of the hospice. Their role is to agree and monitor the strategic direction and ensure that we operate within the various regulatory frameworks and remain true to our mission, objects and values. They also act as ambassadors for the hospice at external events.

Reports

To find out more about the Hospice please see our Statement of Purpose and our Accounts. You can also read about the hospice on the Charity Commission website or download our most recent Wigan and Leigh Hospice Quality Account 2022-23