About St Ann's Hospice

We can provide care right from the point of diagnosis – the earlier we are involved, the more we can help to make a real difference to the lives of patients and those who support them. We provide help and support to around 3000 people each year – and have 58 inpatient beds, while also providing both day therapy and care in people’s homes.

Our teams work hard to try to give back as much normality to people’s lives, wherever they can. One example is pain relief: reducing or removing someone’s pain requires a great deal of expertise, but doing so can literally transform their life – giving them back a renewed vigour and making their life more ‘normal’ again.

Around 40% of people return home from St Ann’s Hospice after receiving care. Although the majority of our patients are admitted with cancer-related illnesses our services are also open to patients with non-cancer-related illnesses, such as chronic heart failure, chronic lung disease and neurological diseases such as motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

Our history

In 1969 staff at the Christie Hospital in Manchester raised concerns that there was nowhere in Manchester to care for patients when they left the hospital. The Right Rev William Greer agreed that the churches of Manchester should support establishing a hospice.

Fundraising began and two years later, in 1971, St Ann's Hospice opened its doors in Heald Green, with 20 beds available for the terminally ill.

Over time the hospice expanded to 42 beds, but it was soon apparent that this was still not enough. It was also difficult for patients living in north Manchester to get to Heald Green, in the south, so a second hospice was opened in 1978 in Little Hulton.

The Neil Cliffe Cancer Care Centre was established by Neil Cliffe, who found he had nowhere to get support when he had cancer. Mr Cliffe remains actively involved at the Centre as a Reiki therapist. The Centre amalgamated with St Ann's in 1998.