Do you need a referral for hospice care?

A referral allows a hospice or palliative medicine team to review the person's diagnosis, current needs, medicines, care goals, and preferred place of care. A family member may be able to contact a service for information, but a clinician may still need to provide medical details or confirm that hospice is appropriate. Hospice focuses on comfort, dignity, symptom relief, and support for the patient and family when care is centred on quality of life.

Contact the treating oncologist, palliative medicine team, hospital discharge team, or chosen hospice and ask how admission is arranged. Have the diagnosis, current treatment plan, medicine list, recent clinical notes, and contact details for the main clinician available. Ask whether the service provides care at home, in a dedicated facility, or through hospital support, and clarify whom to call outside normal clinic hours. Starting the conversation early can leave time to match support with the person's priorities.

Do not wait for referral paperwork if the person has severe breathing difficulty, uncontrolled pain, heavy bleeding, a new seizure, sudden confusion, or cannot be awakened normally. Call the local emergency service or follow the urgent plan already supplied by the care team. For worsening nausea, agitation, constipation, breathlessness, or difficulty taking medicines, contact the hospice or oncology team promptly so the symptom plan can be adjusted.

Ask who can make the referral, what clinical information is required, how current cancer treatment fits with hospice services, and which team will manage medicines. It is also useful to ask what equipment or caregiver support may be arranged, how urgent symptoms are handled, and whether the patient's preferred place of care can be supported.