Referral to St Peter's Hospice

Who is eligible for our care?

• Anyone over the age of 18 with an active and advanced life limiting disease such as cancer, heart and/or lung disease and neurological diseases.
• Patients referred to us may be close to the end of active treatment when a doctor has advised either that no further treatment will be of benefit or that further treatment is purely for the relief of difficult symptoms.
• The patient may be near the end of their life and may have chosen to die in a hospice. The patient (or their chosen representative i.e. next of kin) must agree to the referral.

Who can make a referral to St Peter’s Hospice?

Anyone can make a referral but usually patients are referred by any health or social care profession such as their GP, District Nurse or Hospital Palliative Care Team, for example. The patient’s GP must be in agreement with the referral.

Once a patient has been accepted by the Hospice they will be contacted to let them know what will happen next. For the majority of patients the first contact they will receive will be a telephone call from a triage nurse. The triage nurse liaises with patients when they are first referred, to introduce the service and assess any urgent issues. This will often be followed by a visit from a Community Nurse Specialist or perhaps an invitation to an outpatient appointment.