Patient care services

Each service has a different set of eligibility criteria, depending on your conditions, symptoms and the complexity of your condition. To find out more you can speak to you GP or health care provider. Alternatively you can call our Access Team directly on 0131 551 7751 or email access@stcolumbashospice.org.uk to find out if our service is right for you (available Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, excluding public holidays).

People eligible for IPU admission will have active, progressing life-limiting illness, and be living with resulting distressing physical, psychosocial, emotional or spiritual symptoms. An Inpatient admission can be considered when these issues are difficult to manage in their current place of care. 

Your family and friends are welcome to visit you any time of the day or night. We just ask that they sign in at reception so we know who's in the building. We can also arrange for a member of your family to stay overnight. They could stay in your room with you or in one of our family bedrooms. 

The Access Team is the single point of contact for all clinical enquiries, referrals and advice. Our community teams now work as a team to provide a responsive and scheduled service across the north of Edinburgh.  If you need to speak to a specific member of the team, you can either use NHS email, or phone the community admin line on 0131 551 7724 and they will put the request through for the following day. If you need urgent advice or to speak to someone the same day, this is provided by the Access Team specialist palliative care nurses, and they have access to medical advice via the consultants, call 0131 551 7751 or email access@stcolumbashospice.org.uk.