Hospice Palliative Care Service

We're here to provide specialist palliative care – whether it be physical, emotional, spiritual or social support. Our professional team will do their very best for you when you need them most.

Hospice Palliative Care

Palliative care helps adults and children with a life-limiting illness live their life as fully and comfortably as possible. Palliative care identifies and treats symptoms which may be physical (taha tinana), emotional (taha hinengaro) , spiritual (taha wairua), or social (taha whānau). Family/whānau and friends can also receive practical and emotional support.

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A nurse is sitting in a chair talking to an elderly woman.

Care & support when you need it most

Nurse Maude provides a range of specialist hospice palliative care services for those living in Canterbury. All services are free to patients and their families/whanau.

Referrals for specialist palliative care can be made by any health professional. Most patients have their palliative care needs met by primary providers such as district nursing teams and GPs. The Hospice Palliative Care team are specialist providers and are skilled at monitoring and supporting patients at home, in aged care facilities, or in the hospice inpatient unit, who may have more complex or challenging symptoms causing concern. The team always works alongside the district nurses, GPs, and other health professionals to provide the best possible care.

Patients and their families/whānau may self-refer for counselling.

Help us improve our service

If you would like to provide feedback on any aspect of the Hospice Palliative Care Service, please complete the short survey below. Your feedback is important to us and helps us to continually improve the service we provide to our patients and whānau. Thank you.

Feedback Survey

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Our position on the End of Life Choice Act 2019

We will follow our responsibility in accordance with the End of Life Choice Act 2019 if a patient wishes to explore assisted dying. We respect all views, and we will continue to provide the best care possible to patients and their whānau. However, our staff will not assess patients for eligibility, nor be present during the administration of any medication used in assisted dying, wherever that may take place. Assisted dying will not occur on hospice premises. We will continue to provide care and support up to the point of assisted death, and during bereavement.

Latest news

Wills Week: Leave a Gift, Leave a Legacy

14 September 2025

This Wills Week, we’re reminding our community of the importance of having a will - and the incredible impact you can make by leaving a gift to charity. A will gives you peace of mind, knowing your wishes will be carried out and your loved ones cared for. It can also be a powerful way to create a lasting legacy by supporting causes close to your heart. Why it’s important to have a will A will ensures your assets are distributed the way you want. It helps reduce stress and uncertainty for your loved ones. You can appoint guardians for your children. You can leave gifts to the charities you value, continuing your support beyond your lifetime. Gathered Here Partnership Nurse Maude, together with hospices across Aotearoa, has partnered with Gathered Here to make writing or updating your will simple, fast, and free. Gathered Here is a trusted online service where you can write a will in just 20 minutes. You’ll have the option to include a gift to Nurse Maude, ensuring that future generations can continue to receive the specialist palliative and hospice care that our community depends on. Every gift makes a difference A bequest, no matter the size, is a deeply meaningful way to support the care, compassion, and dignity we provide for patients and their whānau every day. Your generosity helps us continue our mission to care for people in their homes and in our hospice, free of charge.