FAQs
Is St Oswald’s Hospice part of the NHS?
No. St Oswald’s Hospice is an independent, voluntary organisation. We are a registered charity and we rely on voluntary donations and legacies to enable us to provide hospice care.
Our annual running costs exceed £10 million. As a charity, we need to raise over £6.5 million and statutory authorities provide the additional £3.5 million income.
We do work very closely with NHS colleagues and we provide Outreach services in local hospitals and the community. We also offer some services at the hospice in partnership with Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Northern Centre for Cancer.
Do you have to pay?
No, we make no charge for our services, ensuring access to anyone who needs us. We are a registered charity and rely on voluntary giving, to ensure our essential services.
Is St Oswald’s Hospice ‘just a place to die’?
No! Most people think that hospices are scary, dark, miserable places – where you come to die. While we do provide end-of-life care, we also offer SO much more than that.
We’re experts in pain and symptom management and we follow a holistic approach, which means that we strive to address not just your physical symptoms, but also your emotional and spiritual needs too.
We also realise the impact an illness has on the whole family, therefore, we aim to provide support and care for your relatives and friends too.
We have a multi-disciplinary team of professionals on hand to support your needs. Our team includes consultants, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, chaplaincy and complementary therapists.
Do you just treat people with cancer?
No. We care for anyone living with a progressive, life-limiting condition considered to be palliative (i.e. non-curative), including but not limited to patients with motor neurone disease and advanced respiratory, neurological or cardiac conditions. We welcome patients early in diagnosis, as well as those who have been living with their palliative diagnosis for months/years.
We also offer a service to treat people living with Lymphoedema and Lipoedema (palliative and non-palliative).
Are hospices just for the elderly?
No. We care for adult patients of all ages. We also offer a specialist short break service for babies, children and young adults with life limiting conditions.
Do you have to be religious to be cared for at St Oswald’s Hospice?
No. We care for people of any religious denomination and for those with no particular faith or beliefs.
Spiritual support is offered at St Oswald’s Hospice to patients, their relatives, carers and friends. Visiting clergy, elders and spiritual leaders are very welcome to visit. There is no pressure on those patients who do not wish to use these services.
Some people often believe that to work in a hospice you have to have strong religious beliefs; again this is not the case. Our staff have the same mix of beliefs as the patients for whom they care.
How do you get referred to St Oswald’s Hospice?
As a patient you can be referred by any healthcare professional involved in your care e.g. GP, Consultant, Community Care Team, Nurse, Physiotherapist.
We care for patients from Northumberland, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Gateshead, with occasional specialist referrals from further afield.