Palliative & End of Life Care is now delivered in the home, in hospitals and in the community making it one of the most integrated service partnerhips within the voluntary, statuatory and independent sectors.  For patients and families this offers the opportunity to be cared for in a place of their choosing by a variety of highly skilled professionals working collaboratively from a number of organsiations.

Voluntary sector provision includes:

• specialist palliative inpatient and outpatient services
• jointly funded posts
• funding and provision of education and training
• funding and particpation in research
• loans and assistance to purchase equipment
• day services
• support for carers
• patient information
• fundraising and public awareness
• health promotion
• respite care
• bereavement services

In relation to palliative care most people recognise the Hospices and Macmillan as being the main voluntary organisations, however service collaboration extends to other non cancer and cancer focused charities.  The Service Directory will provide details of these organisations .

Click here to notify us if you want your service added to this directory

  A short history of our hospices in Northern Ireland

• Marie Curie as an organisation began in 1948 when the National Health Service was established. The first hospice was opened in 1950 in Scotland and in 1965, Marie Curie opened a hospice here in Northern Ireland at Beaconfield. Click here for more information

• Northern Ireland Hospice was established in 1981 to provide specialist palliative care for patients with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and to give support to their carers, whether the patient was being cared for in the hospice or in the community. Click here for more information

• The Foyle Hospice was the result of the personal vision of a local GP, who, along with a small group of fundraisers, started a home care team in 1985. An inpatient unit followed in June 1991. Click here for more information

•  The Southern Area Hospice was founded in 1989 as an inpatient unit subsequently expanding its services to meet the needs of the wider community. Southern Area Hospice Services now serves the entire Southern Health & Social Care Trust Region. Click here for more information