They try to meet the needs of each person according to their own wants and wishes. The hospice movement is one of the UK's outstanding success stories. Over the last twenty-five years, it has earned widespread public admiration, endorsement and devoted local support for its work with people who face the end of life and for those who love them. A hospice is just not a building, it is a way of caring. Hospice care is provided for adults and children, in a number of places - at home, in day centres, on specialist hospital wards as well as in 'a hospice'.
Hospice care takes many forms and varies from place to place.
Hospice care is about options - choosing the kind of skilled, competent care that meets an individual's particular needs and takes into account his or her social and family situation. It is about teamwork, flexibility, care of the whole person, comfort, compassion and quality of life. Each year, around 60,000 people are admitted to hospices - with nearly half returning home again. The average length of time as an in-patient is 13 days. There are also 21 hospices for children, providing 159 beds.