People coming into contact with the hospice for the first time often have lots of questions.
Scroll down to find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
Hospice care is designed to meet the practical, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of people living with a life-limiting illness. This holistic approach is known as ‘palliative care’.
Support is available from the point of diagnosis, not just in the final days of life. Our care focuses on enhancing quality of life at every stage of a patient’s journey.
We also offer care and support to those who are important to our patients – throughout the illness and after their death.
Hospice care can be provided in our hospice building or within the community, including in people’s own homes.
Palliative care is a holistic approach to supporting people with conditions that can no longer be cured, including care at the end of life. It focuses on managing physical symptoms while also addressing emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
Importantly, palliative care supports not only the person who is ill, but also those close to them – offering care and comfort throughout the illness and beyond.
Our hospice provides a wide range of services, delivered by a skilled multi-professional team and supported by dedicated volunteers. These services are designed to support both patients and those important to them. They include:
We offer care both in our hospice building and out in the community, including in people’s own homes.
Our services are available to adults aged 18 and over who live in the Wigan borough and have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness that requires palliative care. We also support their loved ones.
Although people often access hospice care during a difficult time in their lives, our hospice building is a warm, welcoming, and modern space. It’s designed to feel peaceful and uplifting, with beautiful gardens and outdoor areas that offer a sense of calm and connection to nature.
We want everyone who visits – whether for care, support, or simply a moment of quiet – to feel safe, comfortable, and cared for.
Referrals to our hospice are usually made by healthcare professionals such as GPs, hospital specialists, district nurses, or other members of the community care team.
If you feel that you or someone close to you would benefit from hospice care, please speak to your healthcare professional about making a referral.
Yes. Most of our patients receive care in their own homes, delivered by our experienced community nursing teams. We also provide support to patients living in nursing homes, as well as those staying in our Inpatient Unit at the hospice building in Hindley.
Our aim is to offer compassionate, personalised care wherever it’s needed – whether that’s at home, in a care setting, or within the hospice itself.
People come into the hospice for many reasons – to help manage pain or symptoms, for emotional support, or for end-of-life care.
Our hospice has 14 individual bedrooms, each with views of our beautiful gardens. The environment is welcoming, bright, and peaceful – designed to help patients and their loved ones feel as comfortable as possible.
We are a short-stay unit, and the average length of stay on our Inpatient Unit is around 16 days. Every person’s experience is unique, and our team is here to provide compassionate, personalised care throughout their time with us.
We do. You can reach the Wigan & Leigh Hospice 24-hour advice line by calling 01942 525 566.
This service is available around the clock, seven days a week, offering support to patients, carers, and healthcare professionals.
Whether you need guidance on pain management, symptom control, or other palliative care concerns, our team is here to help.
If something hasn’t gone the way you expected, or you’re unhappy with any part of our care or services, we want to hear about it.
Your feedback helps us understand what’s working, what isn’t, and how we can improve the support we provide.
Click here to find out how to make a complaint and what will happen once you do.
Where possible, please avoid visiting in large groups. If a group would like to visit at the same time, we ask that you speak with a member of the nursing team in advance, as this can affect the care and comfort of other patients.
Our visiting hours are daily, from 10am to 8pm.
For general enquiries, reception is open daily from 8am to 8pm.
No. Parking is available free of charge at the hospice.
The café next to main reception is open 24 hours a day and offers a selection of sandwiches, snacks, and hot and cold drinks.
We also have a small shop selling a range of cards, gifts, toys, and crafts.
We kindly ask visitors to leave by 8pm to help maintain a calm and restful environment for our patients.
However, we understand that some patients may be very unwell and benefit from having one or two loved ones stay later or overnight. If your loved one is particularly poorly and you wish to stay beyond 8pm, please speak to a member of the nursing team.
Children are always welcome, but must be properly supervised by a family member throughout their visit.
Yes, pets are welcome at Wigan & Leigh Hospice.
You’re welcome to bring them in to visit patients, as we know they often bring comfort, companionship, and joy.
No – this is a common myth about hospices. While some people do come to us for end-of-life care, many are admitted for short-term support, such as help with managing symptoms.
In fact, around 40% of our patients return home after their stay in our Inpatient Unit.
Our care is focused on improving quality of life – not just supporting people at the end of it.
No – while we do care for people with cancer, hospice care is available to anyone with a life-limiting illness.
We support people with a wide range of conditions, including neurological and respiratory illnesses, and other progressive or complex health needs. Our focus is on providing compassionate, personalised care – whatever the diagnosis.
Not at all. While compassion is at the heart of everything we do, hospice care is delivered by a team of highly trained professionals – including doctors, nurses, counsellors, and therapists – who are experts in palliative and end-of-life care.
Our team provides specialist support that may not be available through other services, helping to manage complex symptoms, offer emotional and psychological care, and support patients and their loved ones throughout their journey.
Hospice care is about dignity, expertise, and improving quality of life – not just comfort and kindness, although those things are important too.
All of our care is provided free of charge to those who use our services.
Our work is made possible thanks to the generosity of our community, fundraisers, and supporters.
No – we are a registered charity. While we receive around a third of our funding from the NHS, the majority of our income comes from the generosity of our local community.
We rely on donations, fundraising events, the hospice lottery, our charity shops, and gifts left in wills (legacy income) to continue providing our services. In fact, we need to raise over £13,000 every single day to keep delivering care and support to those who need us.
Although we are not part of the NHS, our team works in close partnership with GPs, district nurses, and the Hospital Specialist Palliative Care Team to coordinate care for patients and those important to them. We attend daily meetings with other healthcare professionals to ensure patients receive the right support from the right service at the right time.
There are many ways you can support us and help make a difference:
