Frequently asked questions & answers

What is a Hospice?
Hospice is a term for services providing care for people with a life limiting illness. This is also known as ‘specialist palliative care’ – ‘palliative’ means to relieve symptoms but without curing the illness.

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice cares for people as inpatients, Day Hospice patients or patients at home and provides support for their families.

How can I use services at St Mary’s Hospice?
We need a referral form from your GP or Hospital Doctor or District Nurse. They can get a blank referral form from the Hospice by telephoning the Hospice.

How much will it cost me for treatment?
Services are free of charge to patients because St Mary’s Hospice is a charity. Our costs are met mainly through public support.

What illnesses do Hospice patients have?
Many have cancer but others might have neurological conditions or heart, kidney or respiratory diseases that cannot be cured. They usually have very complex symptoms which can be improved by palliative care.

We don’t just see people at the end of their lives; we also see people very early in their illness to offer psychological, spiritual support and symptom control.

How much does it cost to run St Mary’s Hospice?
Our current running costs are around £4.8 million per year, which means it costs £550 every hour to provide care for our patients.

How long do patients stay in the Hospice?
This depends on what the patient needs but is usually about two weeks. Occasionally it’s longer if a patient has very complicated needs.

Do all Hospice patients actually come into the Hospice for care?
No, many of them stay at home and get support from their GPs, District Nurses and the Hospice’s own Community Specialist Nurses. They can come into the Hospice for care if it becomes necessary.

Sometimes patients are admitted to the inpatient unit for respite care usually to give their family or carers a break.

Patients who are near the end of life may choose to come into the Hospice to die. We always aim to support patients to be wherever they want to be to die.

I thought Hospices were depressing places where there are lots of dying people. Is this true?
A lot of people think this until they get to know us! Then they find the Hospice is homely, bright and cheerful. Our staff and volunteers are friendly and welcoming. We have single rooms with en-suite facilities and shared rooms for people who prefer them and there’s a lovely garden that patients and their families use.

Is Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice a religious place?
No – we’re not connected to any one religion; we welcome people from all faiths as well as those who do not have any religious beliefs.

Spiritual care is an important aspect of the care that we provide and we aim to meet the differing needs of each of our individual patients.

Can I visit the Hospice before I am referred?
Yes - we know that people worry about coming to a Hospice. We like to show possible patients and their families what the Hospice has to offer before they decide to use our services. We ask you to contact us in advance if you want to visit and we will make sure one of our nurses can show you round.

How do I become a volunteer at the Hospice?
You can phone the Hospice and ask for a Volunteer Application Form. We recruit volunteers in the same way that we recruit staff. We arrange an interview and take up references.

How do I make a donation to Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice?
To make a donation, you can:

send a cheque made payable to “St Mary’s Hospice” by post to Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, 176 Raddlebarn Road, Selly Park, Birmingham B29 &DA
hand cash in at the Hospice Reception or one of our shops
make a donation on line now by clicking here
pay by debit or credit card over the telephone by calling the fundraising department
make a regular gift by standing order direct from your bank account– click here to find out more

Whatever size of donation you choose to make, it will make a big difference to us

Frequently asked questions & answers

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