Willow Wood Hospice

Willow Wood Hospice is an adult hospice providing specialist palliative care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. We provide care, free of charge, and patients, families and those closest to them are at the centre of everything we do.

Willow Wood Hospice is a member of the Greater Manchester Hospices Collaborative (“GM Hospices”) a partnership of Greater Manchester’s independent charitable hospices. The hospice movement is one of the UK’s great success stories, providing specialist palliative care to effectively alleviate the suffering of patients with life-limiting illnesses, changing the way they are treated and improving their quality of life.

Hospice Care Ethos

“You matter because you are you and you matter until the last moment of your life.  We will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully but to live until you die.”  Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the UK hospice movement.

We are committed to the hospice care ethos. Our vision is to ensure that everyone affected by a life limiting illness receives timely specialist care and support. Our mission is to lead and deliver high quality multi professional specialist palliative care, support and education across Tameside and Glossop.

We offer the very best specialist palliative care to those who need it, enabling individuals to live well with a life-limiting illness. We care for patients throughout their illness, helping to improve their wellbeing and quality of life. We also provide compassionate, dedicated and dignified care for patients at the end of their life.

Definition of Assisted Dying

Assisted Dying: We have chosen to use the term “assisted dying” (hereafter abbreviated as AD) when talking about all types of physician-assisted deaths, including self-administration of the lethal drug required to die, as well as physician-administered deaths (often referred to as euthanasia). The choice of terminology is intended to be as inclusive and neutral as possible and is not intended to reflect a specific stance on the issue.

Withdrawal of treatment: Hospices work within the guidelines and legal framework of withdrawal of treatment. What is important is that this is withdrawal of treatment and not withdrawal of care. The care provided to our patients ensures the comfort of a dying patient and a “good death”.

Willow Wood Hospice view on assisted dying

We recognise that AD is a complex and emotive issue, posing a challenging issue for everyone in society. We are respectful and considerate of people’s varying views on the issue, and we respect the right of everyone to their own individual viewpoint on AD.

For us, what is important is that people continue to talk about death and dying. The 2024 House of Commons Health and Social Care Report says “a common theme across the evidence was the pursuit of the very best end of life care, and what many witnesses called “a good death”, where the person dying was cared for with compassion and high-quality care and provided with as much agency and choice as possible.”  We support this.

Our priority is to enhance our patients’ quality of life

Improving the quality of people’s lives is the most important thing, and we should therefore be focusing on providing person-centred, individualised, high-quality, and responsive care, empowering patients and their loved ones to live as well as possible, for as long as possible. Our aim is to enhance our patients’ quality of life and ensure dignity, to make every last moment count.

Our priority is the patients in our care and their families and carers. At Willow Wood hospice we consider the whole person. Everyone has their own thoughts and preferences around the end of their life, and we listen to each individual and their loved ones so that we can focus on what is important to them and try to meet as many of their wishes as possible.

We endeavour to support patients to achieve the best possible quality of life, leading to a natural death, and experience shows that good hospice care can dramatically and positively change the way a person feels about their life.

Our care extends beyond the treatment of physical symptoms to consider the emotional, psychological, spiritual and social needs of our patients and their families, children and carers, both before and after bereavement. We also try to support people where they need (and want) it, whether as in-patients, as outpatients, or in their home or community.

Improving access for all to high-quality palliative and end of life care

Our vision and mission drive our organisation and our focus is on the right of every individual to be well cared for up until the time of death, and on improving access to palliative and end of life care for all, no matter where they live or who they are.

However, we believe there is much more that can be done nationally to improve access and services for people living with life-limiting illnesses. There is still a disparity around the level and quality of end of life and palliative care received by patients in different parts of the UK, and this also varies depending on which community they live in. We believe that the focus should be on removing this postcode lottery of care and ensuring everyone receives the same high quality of care at the end of their life that they receive when they are born.

We must ensure that all those who could benefit from hospice care are aware of the wide range of services and support that our hospices provide, and are able to access them should they choose to do so.

We will continue to raise awareness of our services and work with our colleagues across Greater Manchester and beyond, challenge common misconceptions about hospice care, encourage people to talk about issues relating to death and dying, and work to ensure that we are truly inclusive to all those in our diverse communities.

Amendment to Willow Wood Hospice Assisted Dying Position Statement – September 2025

We recognise the progress made in the law around assisted dying. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, introduced by MP Kim Leadbeater, passed all stages in the House of Commons, including the Third Reading on 20 June 2025. It had its First Reading in the House of Lords on 23 June 2025, and passed its Second Reading on 19 September 2025. The Committee Stage, where the Bill will be looked at line by line, is due to start on 24 October 2025. A special select committee will gather expert evidence, with a report expected by 7 November 2025.

At Willow Wood Hospice, our focus continues to be on providing high-quality, compassionate care for everyone affected by a life-limiting illness. We are committed to supporting patients and their families, helping them to live as well as possible, for as long as possible, and to experience dignity, comfort, and choice at the end of life. Our care is centred on each person’s individual needs, values, and wishes, ensuring that every moment counts and that the best possible quality of life is achieved.

Reference: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – Parliamentary Bills