The North London Hospice (NLH) is a registered charity that runs an 15-bed inpatient unit providing 24-hour care. The team works extensively within the wider community to improve people's quality of life (e.g. providing support in patients' homes, offering outpatient services).
Most people living with a life-limiting illness would like to stay in their own home. The hospice can provide specialist advice for pain and other symptom-control issues, as well as emotional, social and spiritual support, working alongside other community and acute health and social care professionals involved in the patient's care.
Components of care at NLH include:
- Care Co-ordination Centre provides 24-hour referral management and advice
- Borough-based specialist palliative care teams to help patients remain in their own homes, through holistic assessment and symptom management
- Palliative care support service/hospice at home to provide hands-on care, crisis interventions and end-of-life care at home
- Outpatient and outreach services, including rehabilitation, self-management support, symptom management, advanced care planning, psychological and spiritual support
- Living Well groups provided in collaboration with other charities and community leaders
- Inpatient unit offering Consultant and Nurse Consultant led beds for highly specialist care and support
- Patient and family support to help to enable the patient and their friends and families to come to terms with impact on their relationships and financial effects of ill health
- Bereavement support service for bereaved friends and families
- Community out-of-hours telephone advice line for patients and healthcare professionals
- Compassionate neighbours scheme to support isolated people living with chronic or life-limiting illnesses to stay connected.
Referral update
Since September 2025, North London Hospice (NLH) has faced high demand for its community services across Barnet, Enfield and Haringey.
To ensure that the hospice is continuing to support its patients as effectively as possible, it has agreed with the commissioner that it will manage referrals differently.
While the hospice remains open to referrals, it will prioritise people who require Specialist Palliative Care in domiciliary settings, to ensure that they are seen as soon as possible. They are more vulnerable than those in nursing and care homes, as there is no immediate support on hand.
The change will affect referrals for people being cared for in the nursing and care homes where they reside. While the team works through the outstanding referrals, it will no longer chase for information for referrals that are not fully completed and these will be rejected.
Telephone advice can still be sought through the hospice's Care Coordination Centre, however, referrals cannot be accepted from nursing and care homes.
Please note: NLH does not accept referrals solely for the purpose of completing fast track assessments as it is not the Appropriate Clinician under these circumstances. The responsibility for this rests with the clinician who knows them best and can articulate the rapid deterioration required to meet the fast track criteria.
This change came into effect on 17 December 2025. If you have any questions, email the NLH team.
