Specialist Palliative Care

Palliative Care is for people with advanced illnesses that cannot be cured. Its focus is on improving quality of life and supporting families or carers.

It can be provided at any stage of your illness and is delivered by:

General Practitioners (GPs)
District Nurses
Care Home Staff
Hospital doctors and nurses
Allied Health Professionals (Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers)
Chaplains or faith leaders

Some people may experience more complex physical, emotional, spiritual, or social challenges. If so, they may be referred to the Specialist Palliative Care Team for additional support.

The Specialist Palliative Care team is here to support you and your loved ones when facing advanced illness. We can help with:

Managing complex symptoms, such as pain or breathlessness.
Psychological and emotional support for you, your family, and carers.
Advance care planning, including difficult conversations about your wishes.
Information and guidance on other support services available to you.

We can meet you in hospital, in a clinic, or at home, depending on your needs.

How we work

The Bolton Specialist Palliative Care Team meets weekly to review the needs of our patients. This ensures we provide consistent, high-quality advice and support.

Once your symptoms have improved and your specialist needs are met, you may be discharged from our service. However, you can be referred again in the future if your needs change.

Our team

Specialist Palliative Care is provided by a multidisciplinary team, including:

Specialist Palliative Care Nurses (some partnered with Macmillan)
Palliative Medicine Consultants and Doctors
Therapy team: Specialist Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists
Hospice services: Outpatient clinics, Wellbeing Hub, Complementary Therapies, Bereavement Support, and the Inpatient Unit

We work closely with the teams already involved in your care to ensure seamless support.