There are two palliative care social workers based at Bolton Hospice who are employed by Bolton Council. They form an integral part of the hospice team, carrying out several key roles:

Guiding hospice patients' care and support choices

Our social workers are there to discuss any concerns that the patients or carers may have, helping them to make informed decisions and choices about their care and the support they may need. They are very experienced in providing professional support to our patients and carers across all our services.

Supporting hospice patients

Our social workers are mainly referred through the hospice services.They support patients who have a palliative diagnosis and may need either care provision at that time or information and advice about the range of services available that could be beneficial over time.

They are also involved with those patients who have existing care provision under Bolton Council’s Department of People Services and may require a reassessment of their social care needs due to a health change. This could involve joint working and liaison with other social workers, district nurses, care agencies, Macmillan nurses and other providers of care.

The social workers will provide information and signposting to patients and carers and discuss their support and services under the Social Care Act 2014. This could include information on how social and health care is funded (including personal budgets/direct payments), residential and nursing home care, community activities and welfare rights.