Hospices

Winchester Hospice

Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester SO22 5DG

Overview

Winchester Hospice is a specialist palliative care facility located within the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester. As a hospice service, it provides compassionate end-of-life care and symptom management for patients with serious illnesses, primarily those with terminal diagnoses. The organisation is dedicated to improving quality of life during life-limiting illness through expert clinical care combined with emotional and spiritual support.

The hospice serves patients across Winchester and the surrounding areas of Hampshire. Its services typically include inpatient care, day care programmes, and specialist advice to support patients who wish to remain at home. The team comprises trained palliative care specialists, nurses, doctors, and support workers who work alongside patients and their families to ensure dignity and comfort during difficult times.

Winchester Hospice is integrated within the hospital setting, allowing for coordinated care and easy access to hospital facilities when needed. The service operates under the broader NHS framework while often receiving additional support from charitable donations. The hospice plays a vital role in the local healthcare community, offering specialist expertise that complements general hospital services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Winchester Hospice in Winchester provides specialist palliative care for people with life-limiting conditions. Services may include inpatient care, day hospice services, hospice at home (care in your own home), outpatient clinics, bereavement support for families, lymphoedema clinic, complementary therapies, and counselling. All care focuses on comfort, quality of life, and dignity. Contact 01962 842525 for information about available services.
Yes, all hospice care at Winchester Hospice is provided free of charge to patients and their families, regardless of financial circumstances. Hospices receive some NHS funding but rely heavily on charitable donations, fundraising, retail shops, and legacies to fund their services. It costs millions of pounds each year to run a hospice, with a significant proportion raised through community support.
Referrals to Winchester Hospice are usually made by your GP, hospital consultant, or district nurse. You or your family can also contact Winchester Hospice directly on 01962 842525 to discuss a referral. Referrals are based on clinical need — anyone with a life-limiting condition can be considered. You do not have to have cancer to be referred; hospices care for people with any advanced illness including heart failure, COPD, motor neurone disease, and dementia.
No, hospice care is not just about end-of-life care. Many patients visit Winchester Hospice for symptom management (pain relief, breathlessness, nausea), rehabilitation and support to stay as well as possible, respite stays to give carers a break, and day hospice activities and therapies. Some patients attend for weeks or months and then return home. Hospice care aims to help you live as fully and comfortably as possible.
Yes, Winchester Hospice can help you with advance care planning — documenting your wishes for future care. This may include an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (living will), Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare, preferred place of care and death, and a ReSPECT form (Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment). Having these conversations and documents in place ensures your wishes are known and respected.
You can support Winchester Hospice by making a donation, volunteering your time, shopping at or donating to charity shops, taking part in fundraising events, leaving a gift in your will (legacy giving), organising your own fundraising activity, or becoming a regular donor. Contact 01962 842525 or visit the website to find out more about supporting your local hospice.
Winchester Hospice may offer a Hospice at Home service, bringing specialist palliative care to patients in their own homes. This may include visits from specialist nurses, overnight care and sitting services, symptom management, practical support, and emotional support for patients and families. Hospice at Home allows people to be cared for and, if they wish, to die in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.
Winchester Hospice supports people with any life-limiting condition, not just cancer. Conditions include advanced cancer, heart failure, COPD and other lung diseases, motor neurone disease (MND), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, advanced dementia, kidney failure, and liver failure. Referral is based on clinical need, and the hospice team works alongside your GP and hospital team.
The day hospice at Winchester Hospice provides a programme of care and activities for patients who live at home. You may attend one or two days per week for medical review and symptom management, complementary therapies (massage, aromatherapy, reflexology), creative activities (art, music), social interaction and peer support, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and psychological support. Transport to and from the day hospice may be arranged.
Winchester Hospice may offer complementary therapies including massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, Reiki, acupuncture, mindfulness and relaxation, creative arts therapy, and music therapy. These therapies complement medical treatment and can help with pain, anxiety, sleep, and overall wellbeing. All therapies are provided by qualified practitioners and are free to patients.
Yes, Winchester Hospice welcomes visitors and families. Visiting is usually flexible, with no strict visiting hours in the inpatient unit. Family rooms and overnight facilities may be available for relatives who wish to stay close. Children are welcome to visit. The hospice environment is designed to be calm, comfortable, and homelike. Staff will support families throughout their loved one's stay.
Yes, Winchester Hospice provides bereavement support for families and loved ones after a patient has died. This may include one-to-one counselling, bereavement support groups, telephone support, memorial services, and children and young people's bereavement services. Support is available regardless of whether the person died at the hospice or elsewhere. Contact 01962 842525 for information about bereavement services.
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Contact Details
Phone
01962 842525
Address
Royal Hampshire County Hospital
Winchester
SO22 5DG
Social Links
Opening Hours
Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday 09:00 - 17:00
Sunday 10:00 - 16:00
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