About Highland Hospice

The Highland Hospice provides specialist palliative care free of charge to people throughout the Highlands. Palliative care is the care of patients for whom there is no possibility of cure. The Hospice helps improve the quality of life that remains.

The Hospice recognises the value and uniqueness of every individual, believing that it is possible to achieve a sense of well-being in the face of a life threatening illness. It also supports the patient's family during the illness and into bereavement.

The Highland Hospice team includes doctors, nurses, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, complementary therapist, family support worker, chaplain, and a bereavement counsellor. Most of its patients have cancer. The Hospice provides:

• In-patient beds for treatment and care of patients
• A day centre treating those who are still able to live at home among their family
• Hospice At Home team: nurses who will go to patients in their homes to help with any crisis during their illness, and for end stage care
• Locally based nurses across the Highlands
• Training for health professionals working with terminally ill people in the community
• Support groups for families of patients

Our history

Highland Hospice opened in 1988 with ten in-patient beds to help people with an incurable illness. Since then it has built a day centre and included complementary therapies and other services. It now treats and cares for over 300 people a year.

All care provided by the Highland Hospice is free of charge. Most of the Hospice's running costs are met through donations and fundraising in the community.

Adult patients of all ages come to the Hospice, for varying lengths of stay. Their average age is 71. The Hospice will accept patients with any incurable disease. Since the Hospice was opened in 1988 it has treated people with:

• cancer
• motor neuron disease
• heart disease
• lung disease
• kidney disease
• other conditions requiring specialist palliative care