A hospice provides specialist care for people with a life-limiting illness, focused on comfort, dignity and quality of life rather than cure. Hospice care is free, provided by charities with partial NHS funding, and comes in several forms: inpatient beds for complex symptoms or the last days, hospice at home, day and outpatient services, and support for families before and after a death. Most people get there by referral from their GP, district nurse or hospital team.
Key facts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free; hospices are charities funded by donations and partly by the NHS |
| How to access | Referral from GP, district nurse, hospital or palliative care team; many accept self-referral for advice |
| What is offered | Inpatient beds, hospice at home, day services, outpatient clinics, counselling, bereavement support |
| Who it is for | People with a life-limiting illness and complex needs, at any stage, not only the last days |
| Typical inpatient stay | Days to a few weeks; many people go home again |
What hospices do
Hospices grew out of the modern hospice movement started by Dame Cicely Saunders at St Christopher’s in London in 1967, and there are now over 200 across the UK, for adults and children. Each is an independent charity (a few are NHS-run) serving a local area, with its own mix of services. Most offer:
Inpatient care. A ward of single rooms with specialist doctors and nurses, for people whose symptoms need expert management, whose care has become too complex for home, or who are in the last days of life and cannot or do not wish to be at home. Family can usually visit at any time and stay overnight.
Hospice at home. Hospice nurses and healthcare assistants visiting the person’s home, providing hands-on care, symptom management, night sits and support for the family, alongside the district nurses. Endoflifecare.uk lists 46 hospice at home services and 254 hospice inpatient services.
Day services and outpatient clinics. Symptom clinics, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, complementary therapies, creative activities, breathlessness and fatigue management, and the chance to meet others. Often used for months before the end of life.
Family support. Counselling, chaplaincy of any faith or none, social work, help with benefits, support for children, and bereavement support after the death, often for a year or more.
Advice to other professionals. Hospice doctors and nurses advise GPs, district nurses, care homes and hospital wards on symptom control, which is how much hospice expertise reaches people who never set foot in one.
Who is hospice care for?
Anyone with a life-limiting illness whose needs would benefit from specialist palliative care. That includes cancer, which is still the majority of hospice patients, but also heart failure, lung disease, kidney failure, motor neurone disease, dementia and other conditions. Hospices increasingly care for people with non-cancer illnesses and most say they want to do more.
Hospice care is not only for the last days. A person may have hospice contact over months: outpatient clinics early on, day services, a short inpatient stay to sort out pain, hospice at home towards the end, and bereavement support for the family afterwards.
How do you get a referral?
Ask the GP, district nurse, hospital consultant, ward team or palliative care nurse. Any of them can refer. You can also phone the hospice directly; many will take a self-referral for information and day services and will contact the GP about the rest.
Referral does not guarantee an inpatient bed. Beds are allocated by need: a person with uncontrolled symptoms or in the last days of life takes priority over someone whose needs can be met at home. If a bed is not available immediately, the hospice at home team or the community palliative care nurses will usually step in.
Some hospices have criteria about area (they serve a defined catchment) and about diagnosis; ask.
What happens on admission?
The hospice team assesses the person’s symptoms, wishes and the family’s needs, usually on the first day. They will ask what the person wants from the stay (symptom control, a break, care in the last days), what they want to happen if their condition changes, and about resuscitation and preferences, which are recorded. Medicines are reviewed and often changed. Family are involved as much as the person wants.
Stays for symptom control typically last one to two weeks, after which the person goes home with a plan. Stays for end of life care last as long as needed. Hospices do not discharge people to make room; they do, where the person is stable and wishes to go home, arrange that.
Is it really free?
Yes. Hospices do not charge for any care. Adult hospices in England receive around a third of their funding from the NHS on average and raise the rest; children’s hospices receive less. The charity shops, fundraising events and legacies are what keep the beds open. Families often choose to donate afterwards; there is no expectation.
Hospice compared with the alternatives
| Hospice | Home with support | Nursing home | Hospital | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist palliative staff on site | Yes, all the time | Visiting | Visiting | Hospital palliative team, visiting |
| Cost | Free | NHS free; personal care means-tested unless CHC | Means-tested unless CHC | Free |
| Length of stay | Days to weeks | Indefinite | Indefinite | Usually short |
| Family can stay | Usually yes | Yes | Usually yes | Limited |
| Best for | Complex symptoms, last days, respite | Most people, with a plan | Long-term nursing needs, including the end of life | Crises, or when nothing else can be arranged |
Our guides to end of life care at home and choosing a nursing home for end of life care cover the other options.
Children’s hospices
Children’s hospices care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families, often over years, with short breaks, symptom care, end of life care and bereavement support. They are separate from adult hospices and usually accept referral from any professional or from the family. Together for Short Lives (0808 8088 100) provides information and a directory.
Help that is free
- Hospice UK: hospice finder covering every UK hospice, adult and children’s.
- Marie Curie support line: 0800 090 2309, every day; Marie Curie also runs hospices in several cities.
- Sue Ryder: runs hospices and an online bereavement community.
- Together for Short Lives: 0808 8088 100, for children’s hospice care.
Finding a hospice
Endoflifecare.uk lists hospice inpatient and hospice at home services across the UK alongside nursing homes and home care, with the regulator’s registration and rating where one exists (checked October 2026). Hospices in England are registered and inspected by the Care Quality Commission. Use the listing to find your local hospice and its contact details, then ask your GP or nurse for a referral.
Sources
- Hospice UK: Your guide to hospice and end of life care and hospice care finder
- NHS: Hospice care
- Marie Curie: What is hospice care?
- Together for Short Lives: Children’s hospice care
- Care Quality Commission: Find a hospice service