Status of the in-patient unit at the Marie Curie Hospice, Liverpool

Marie Curie staff, volunteers and the local community will be the first to hear about any developments and decisions as and when they happen.  Right now, please be assured we will continue to care for local people at the end of life through all our other services in Liverpool, including our fully staffed outpatient services at the hospice.  

We want to thank everyone for their continued support during this difficult time – from our staff and volunteers who are working hard to maintain our vital services, to our donors who continue to generously support people in Liverpool who are at the end of their life.  

The services we provide in future, including in-patient beds, will be determined by an agreement with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB), which plans and buys health services, including end of life care, for the local community in Liverpool. We have put a proposal to the ICB based on its guidance to us and are waiting for a response. We appreciate that the ICB also faces tough choices, with demand for health services at every life stage growing and budgets already stretched.

 If the ICB chooses to commission in-patient beds from us, to reopen them, we will need to agree funding to support proper staffing requirements for the hospice, as well as a commitment to work together on a sustainable long-term plan.

 When we paused admissions to the in-patient unit, our clinical teams shifted to delivering two new hospice-level face-to-face services in people’s homes, called ‘Urgent Hospice Care at Home’ and ‘Enhanced Hospice Care at Home’. This was a decision supported by the ICB. 

Thank you to everyone who came to our public event at the end of April. We really appreciate your ongoing commitment and passion, as well as your openness and willingness to share how this has affected you.

We will continue to find ways for the public in Liverpool to have a voice in shaping what happens in the area. For further updates, keep an eye on this page.

If you’d like to tell us what you think or ask a question, please get in touch with us by emailing comments@mariecurie.org.uk. 

All other services in Liverpool are operating as normal and we continue to support people with a terminal illness or at the end of life.

Our outpatient service at the hospice is fully staffed and operational and our community services providing care and psychological support for patients in the last few months of their life continue. Our Patient and Family Support team continue supporting people and we have a free Support Line which operates seven days a week.

Last year working alongside our local NHS partners, we introduced new services to provide end of life care for more people at home. Our Enhanced Hospice Care at Home service (which the NHS refers to as Virtual ward) provides specialist care to people at home from experts including nurses, doctors and a range of health professionals. People who would have been considered for in-patient admission are still being referred to us and assessed for their suitability for enhanced hospice care at home. This is an in-person service and is not a telephone line.

All our other services in Liverpool are operating as normal. If you or someone you love has a terminal illness or is reaching end of life please do get in touch, we're here to help.

If you're currently caring for someone who is dying, please contact our IMPACT service on 0300 100 1002 who will provide support or a referral to the services you need. All our services can be contacted through this IMPACT service.

Marie Curie also has a free Support Line. Open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm Saturday to Sunday.

We've put a proposal to the ICB based on its guidance to us and are waiting for a response. As soon as we have news to share, we will do so. One way you can keep up-to-date is to keep an eye on this page.