Hospicecare North Northumberland - our history and what we do. History Hospicecare North Northumberland was created in 1995 by a small group of healthcare professionals, who were concerned about the availability of local palliative care in North Northumberland. The nearest Hospice facilities were in Newcastle and for many people, the distances involved were simply too great. A 'pilot' Hospice was developed using borrowed premises, and it quickly became apparent that the need was very real. Hospicecare now has two centres, one in Alnwick and one in Berwick, and is also increasingly delivering Hospice at Home. Hospicecare is committed to responding effectively to the challenges posed by working in a large geographic rural area, with scattered communities, to provide care and support for patients and their families. What we do We are the main providers of palliative care in North Northumberland delivering care and support to adults who have life limiting illnesses such as cancer, motor neurone disease and other conditions, and their families and carers. Despite the fact that our catchment area contains the largest percentage of people over 65 years of age in the North East of England, the demand for appointments for the 30+ age group is increasing - we serve a diverse patient group. We are one of the few Hospices in the UK which provides day care over two sites, in Alnwick and in Berwick. We are a community, nurse led service with developing partnerships with the Primary Health Care Teams, Social Services, Hospitals and voluntary organisations, such as Citizens Advice and Carers Northumberland. We have an Open Door - patients and their carers and families can self refer or be referred by other professionals. We are here to help and to care for the whole person and personalised care and support for patients, carers and families is at the heart of what we do.