We're here to help you achieve the best possible quality of life, whether that’s through helping relieve your symptoms, supporting you and your loved ones at a difficult time, or advising you on practical issues.

What support can I expect when I arrive?

When you first come to the hospice, you’ll be able to discuss how you feel and what you need from us with one of our doctors or a specialist nurse.

We'll help you think about what matters to you most, and how we can help you in the best way.

We'll make sure any immediate difficulties you’re having, such as pain or breathlessness, are taken care of as soon as possible. Our hospice team is highly experienced in controlling pain and helping to relieve symptoms.

Will you support my family or carer?

As well as nursing and medical care, we’re here to offer you and your family whatever social, practical, emotional and spiritual support you need.

Find out more about the support we offer to family members in the section below on support for families.

Who co-ordinates my care while I'm at the hospice?

If you're staying with us, our nurses will co-ordinate your care throughout your stay and will be the main point of contact for you and your family.

Find out more about what facilities we have in the section below on our facilities.

We welcome adults of all ages to our modern, fully equipped outpatient day services department.

We'll help you choose the best day service options to suit your health needs, lifestyle and circumstances. Services are always free for patients and families.

When and where do our day services run?

Each week, our outpatient day services are available Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 4.30pm.  We see patients at the out-patient department and also offer domiciliary visits from our multi-disciplinary team.

Our Team

Our Multidisciplinary team can help with different aspects of your illness and will recommend a personal program of care.

Our Outpatient Multidisciplinary Team include

• Specialist doctors and nurses
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Patient and family support team (social workers) who provide financial and emotional support
• Complimentary Therapist
• Chaplain

Our Services

Your care will focus not only on the physical symptoms of your illness, but also on helping you to regain control and improve your overall quality of life.

Services include:

•  access to information and advice on any aspect of your illness
• help to cope with the emotional and psychological impact of your illness
• relaxation techniques and complementary therapies
• a specialist program for people with breathing difficulties
• help with mobility, including gentle exercise program,
• rehabilitation programs
• programs for managing fatigue, anxiety and breathlessness
• lymphoedema support.
• extensive Bereavement services
• advanced care planning

We also offer advice, support and programs for families and carers.

Intravenous infusions and Blood transfusions

Intravenous infusions and blood transfusion services can be arranged for patients who currently attend the service and based on an individual care plan.

Other facilities and complementary therapies

During your visit to the hospice, you can also take advantage of our gym, wet room and complementary therapies.

Complementary therapies don't replace traditional care, but people often comment on their relaxing qualities and overall benefits.

Emotional Support

We all need additional emotional support at difficult and challenging times – whether that's talking through your feelings with experts, planning ahead or making the most of the time you have left.

If you're living with a terminal illness, or supporting someone else, we're here to support you.

Support online and over the phone

You'll also find a range of information and support online for if you've been recently diagnosed or you're living with a terminal illness. And you can call the Marie Curie Support Line to get practical information and emotional support, whatever your situation.

Accessing Services

If you or a loved one is living with a terminal illness and would like a referral, please contact your District Nurse, GP or hospital consultant

To find out more about our services, call us on 02894 331868

Information for healthcare professionals

To make a referral, please complete the HSC referral form  and email it to referralsni@mariecurie.org.uk

To find out more about our services, call us on 028 9433 1868.

If you're staying overnight with us, you'll have bedroom in our in-patient unit (IPU). All the rooms have access to a patio area, and many have views over our landscaped courtyard. Each room also has a TV and headphones.

What support do I get as an in-patient?

If you're staying at the hospice in the IPU, we will:

• make you more comfortable if you're experiencing pain, tiredness, difficulty breathing or other symptoms
• help you maintain your independence so you can continue to do things for yourself for as long as possible
• offer you and your family emotional support should you want it
• advise you, and the people close to you, about how to get the right information if you are concerned about money, social benefits, or how to find equipment and services.

What about my family?

Your family members are welcome to visit you at any time. We also have facilities for them to stay overnight, if they wish to.

How long do people tend to stay?

Most people return home within a couple of weeks, with the community services they need in place. We can also arrange for you to get the equipment you need at home, or the adaptations you need to be made to your home.

What if I'm not well enough to go home?

If you can’t return home because you still need support, we'll advise you and your family on how to find nursing or residential care. Some people return to our hospice for day services later on, depending on their needs.

Do you support people at the very end of their lives?

Some people want to be cared for at the hospice when they die. These people come to the hospice when they are very close to the end of their life. We make sure they're as comfortable as possible, right up until their death.

We also support friends, family members and carers at this emotional time.

To find out more about in-patient care, call 028 9088 2000 and ask to speak to one of the ward staff.

Whether you're staying with us or just visiting, we hope you find this information about our facilities helpful.

What are the bedrooms like?

We have 16 single rooms and one double room. All rooms have access to a patio area and many have views over our landscaped courtyard. All rooms offer privacy and each bed area has a television and headphones.

Families can visit at any time, and you can even bring in your pet for a visit or to stay with you.

Where would I receive day services?

In our day services unit, offering clinical support, rehabilitation, emotional support, practical advice and complementary therapies.

Is there somewhere to get food?

If you're an in-patient, you'll be served freshly prepared food at mealtimes, all cooked by our in-house chef.

Our usual mealtimes are breakfast (8-8.30am, or when you wake up), lunch (12-1pm), an evening meal (5-5.30pm), supper (7pm) and a bedtime snack (9pm). You can also request food at any time depending on when you want to eat.

If you're an outpatient, you'll be offered refreshments while you're waiting, and hospice day patients are welcome to have lunch here.

Visitors can order snacks at reception.

Is there a gym?

Yes. We have a wellbeing room where our physiotherapists help people to develop the skills they need to maintain their independence and quality of life.

What about the gardens?

We have a spacious, landscaped courtyard for you and your family to enjoy while you're here.

Are there facilities for advanced life support?

No, we don't have the specialist equipment to offer advanced life support. If you have any questions about this please ask your doctor or nurse.

What about conference facilities?

Yes. The hospice has dedicated training and meeting rooms to enable our staff to share their skills with healthcare professionals in the community.

If you're planning to visit the hospice either to see someone in our care or to find out more about what we offer, you may find the section on our visitor information below useful, too.

Our patient and family support team offers practical, emotional and spiritual support to the family members and close friends of patients being cared for at the hospice.

Bereavement support

By appointment

Our social workers are very experienced in supporting carers. So whether you need to have a simple chat through your concerns, get advice about additional help which may be available, or find local support services, our social workers will be happy to help.

Support with practical matters

By appointment

Our social workers can help you understand what support is available to you in the community, give you benefits advice and information regarding care homes.

Emotional support

By appointment

We know that terminal illness affects the whole family, and so all of our staff are here for both you and the people close to you.

Your family may wish to meet other carers and have a chat over tea and coffee, to share experiences and support one another. The hospice is a great place to do this.

Complementary therapies

By appointment

Carers are welcome to make the most of our range of safe and natural complementary therapies. These don't replace traditional care, but people often find them relaxing.

Therapies include: aromatherapy, Indian head massage, massage, reflexology and relaxation.

If you're a family member of someone being cared for at the hospice, these services are for you. Please ask a nurse or one of the social workers for more information.

We all need additional emotional support at difficult and challenging times – whether that's talking through your feelings with experts, planning ahead or making the most of the time you have left.

If you're living with a terminal illness, or supporting someone else, we're here to support you.

Spiritual care

Our spirtual care team including Alannah, our Hospice Chaplain, is here to meet with you to talk through your worries and concerns, or have a discussion about your thoughts about the bigger, deeper questions of life.

Alannah can reach out to religious leaders from other faiths, and source sacred scriptures, artefacts and devotional literature from a range of belief, if needed.

We have a quiet room at our hospice that our patients and their families can use for reflection, meditation or prayer.

Alannah O'Neill, our Hospice Chaplain

Bereavement support

Our team of bereavement support workers is here to support family members as their loved ones are dying and afterwards.

We'll support you in the way that's right for you, whether that's through one-to-one meetings, social groups or our fortnightly 'Walk and Talk' bereavement group.

Please speak to a member of staff or give us a call to find out more.

We have a full team of professionals on hand, including specialist nurses and doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, complementary therapists, social workers and a chaplaincy service.

We work in partnership with other professionals involved in your care, such as your GP, District Nurse, hospital consultant and clinical nurse specialists.

Jennifer Doherty, Medical Director

Anne McRoberts, Fundraising Manager

Debbie Moore, Ward Sister/Charge Nurse

Trudy Getgood, Clinical Nurse Manager

Eimear McCooey, Fundraising Engagement Lead

Jacqueline Wilson, Facilities Team Lead

Deborah McMahon, Administration Supervisor

Michael McArevey, Head Chef

Planning a visit to our hospice? Whether you’re coming in to see friends or relatives, we hope you find the following information about our facilities useful.

If you have any further questions, please give us a call, or speak to a member of staff or volunteer who will be happy to help.

Visitor toilets

You'll find visitor toilets in the reception area.

Reducing the risk of infection

For infection control reasons, we ask that visitors do not use the en-suite facilities in patient bedrooms.

You'll also notice that there is hand sanitizer gel at the entrance to the inpatient area
as well as each patient’s bedroom. Please use this gel before entering and leaving these areas.

To avoid spreading germs, please try to avoid visiting patients if you're feeling unwell or suffering with a cold, flu or any other infectious diseases.

If you work in a healthcare environment, please change out of your uniform before entering the hospice. You may notice other external healthcare workers in uniform, but this is because they are visiting in a professional capacity.

Patient mobility

We encourage our patients to leave their bedrooms and use the hospice facilities, and we're here to help if needed. 

If the person you're visiting will be out for a lengthy period, or more importantly goes off-site, please make sure you've told a member of staff.

Refreshments

Visitors can order snacks at reception. Please note that if you're an outpatient, you'll be offered refreshments while you're waiting. Day hospice patients are welcome to have lunch with us.

You'll also find free tea and coffee making facilities in the visitors' coffee room by reception. If you'd like to leave a donation towards the cost, you can do this through the donation boxes.

Visitor areas

For visitors who wish to remain in the hospice for longer periods of time, we have a visitors’ lounge and a shower which you'll find by the day therapy area.

You'll also find a quiet room in the in-patient area where you're welcome to spend some time if you like.

Please do enjoy our landscaped courtyard while you're here, too.

Smoking guidelines

Smoking (including e-cigarettes) is not permitted within the hospice building. We ask visitors who wish to smoke to use the smoking shelter at the far end of the car park. Please don't smoke in any other area within the hospice grounds.

Fire and bomb alert alarm testing

We have a fire alarm test every Wednesday at 10am. This usually lasts no longer than 10 seconds.

We test the bomb alert alarm on the first Wednesday of every month at 10am.

Comments and suggestions

We welcome comments from all who use the hospice. If you would like to offer any ideas or suggestions, please just fill in a suggestion form which can be found at the reception desk, or complete our online form.

You'll find a range of information and support online for people living with a terminal illness, and their families. This includes information:

• if you've recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness
• if you're living with a terminal illness
• if you're caring for someone
• about what to do when someone dies
• about benefits and finances
• about our bereavement support service.

You can also call our Support Line on 0800 090 2309* to get practical information and emotional support, whatever your situation. If you are looking for regular support from a volunteer you can sign up to our Companion over the phone service.

*Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones. Your call may be recorded for quality and training purposes.

You may hear people using the term palliative care. This type of care focuses on helping you to maintain the best possible quality of life.

Palliative care includes a variety of treatments to help you with any physical problems as well as your social and psychological needs. Support also extends to your family and friends who may have concerns about you and your illness.

You might receive palliative care at the same time as other treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Find out more about palliative care.

Please do not bring valuables to the hospice as we cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage.

If you're admitted at short notice and you have valuables with you, please give them to the nursing staff so they can be locked away until they can be taken home.

We want to make sure that our patients and their families receive the best possible care and support from us. Carrying out research is one way to help us understand the needs of patients and families, and how we can best meet those needs.

From time to time, we invite patients and families we are caring for to be involved in research studies. If you are interested in taking part, read more in this leaflet  . or find out more about research at our hospices.

See all our statements of purpose by nation and region.

You are legally entitled to read your medical records. If you'd like to request a copy of your records, please write to the hospice manager.

Any information you share with staff will be protected by our duty of confidentiality. Our staff work within their professional codes of conduct and the Data Protection Act.

If you're experiencing a problem, please talk through the matter with your nurse in the first instance, who will try to help. If you need to make a complaint, you can write to the hospice manager at the following address:

The Hospice Manager
Marie Curie Hospice
Kensington Road
Belfast BT5 6NF

The hospice manager will try to resolve the problem quickly for you.

Alternatively, you can use our online complaints form.