Love, compassion and empathy was shown to us by every member of the St Ann’s Hospice staff.The family of a patient of St Ann’s Hospice

All quotations are used with permission.

Perhaps because of misconceptions as to how a hospice can help, we are often not contacted early in a person’s illness. But the sooner we are contacted, the more we can help.

To gain access to most of the services offered by St Ann’s Hospice, you need to be referred by a medical consultant, GP or specialist palliative care nurse through completion of our referral form.

Which of our services are most suitable for you and how do you access them?

We provide three types of support:

• Inpatient admissions.
• Day therapy (including medical outpatient clinics and a variety of outpatient services).
• Community services (a community specialist care team in Salford and Hospice@Home teams in Salford and Trafford).

How we handle referrals

We manage referrals, following completion and submission of our referral form, based on need, though the speed of admission can be affected by the availability of beds/places on services and the nature of the illness. If you feel that you need the kind of care we offer, please speak to your GP, medical consultant or specialist palliative care nurse as soon as you can.

Inpatient admissions

Patients who have a progressive life-limiting illness, with complex palliative care needs that cannot be met by the palliative care approach by other professionals, should be referred for hospice inpatient care.

Inpatient care means being admitted to one of our hospices as a patient, to have pain managed and symptoms controlled.

As an inpatient, you are looked after by our team of specialist palliative care consultants and a multi-professional team of health professionals. Referrals are accepted for:

• complex symptom control.
• complex psychological, spiritual and social need.
• rehabilitation assessment following radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery and other palliative care treatments.
• care for patients who require specialist care in the last days of life.

How to access inpatient services

Referrals are made through a healthcare professional at a hospital, such as a consultant or a doctor, your GP or palliative care specialist nurse who will need to complete and submit our referral form.

Day therapy

Day therapy is a comprehensive range of medical, emotional and spiritual support services, which are provided to outpatients and their carers. Day therapy is an umbrella term for:

• Day care
• Supportive outpatients’ services
• Medical outpatients
• Lymphoedema management service

Community services

Increasing numbers of people are opting to remain at home to manage their illnesses – and prefer to remain at home to die. Current community services include Salford and Trafford Hospice@Home teams, community specialist palliative care nurse team (Salford) and an outreach complementary therapy service in central Manchester to take complementary therapies into patients’ homes.