Northern Ireland

Health and Social Care Trusts
The statutory provider of care and social services in Northern Ireland is the HSC. It delivers these services through six health care trusts. Five of these trusts are responsible for delivering health and social care services across Northern Ireland. The websites listed below will provide you with access to your local health care trust where information about services available will be found. The websites also offer a wealth of information on a number of topics that maybe relevant to you and your family:

• www.belfasttrust.hscni.net
• www.southerntrust.hscni.net
• www.setrust.hscni.net
• www.westerntrust.hscni.net
• www.northerntrust.hscni.net
• www.niamb.co.uk

Centre for Idependent Living NI 
Centre for Independent Living NI, which was set up in 2001 as Centre for Independent Living- Belfast, is an organisation run by disabled people for disabled people. They work to promote the principles of independent living and, in particular, to provide a range of services for people using or considering using Direct Payments and/or Self-Directed Support.

Website: http://www.cilbelfast.org/

Family Support Northern Ireland website 
The Health and Social Care Board for Northern Ireland, has developed the Northern Ireland Family Support website.  The purpose of this website is to create a comprehensive database of family support across Northern Ireland. ‘Transforming Your Care’, a review of health and social care in Northern Ireland also recognised the importance of the website as an information and signposting resource for families, communities and professionals.

Website: http://www.familysupportni.gov.uk/

Praxis Care
Praxis Care provides a range of supported living services in Northern Ireland to people experiencing mental ill health. These include home response domiciliary care, volunteer befriending, and day activity / drop-in and “out of hours” services for those with a learning disability, mental health challenges, acquired brain injury and people with dementia.

Website: http://www.praxisprovides.com/

Carers Trust NI
Carers Trust is a new charity providing access to desperately-needed breaks, information and advice, education, training and employment opportunities. Their Network Partners benefit from the provision of grants, advice documents and reports to improve carers’ services. They give carers and young carers avenues to speak to someone and make their voices heard, offline via their carers’ services and young carers’ schemes and online via the interactive websites.

Website: https://www.carers.org/northern-ireland
Feature: Forum

Crossroads Caring for Carers
Crossroads Caring for Carers is a Northern Ireland based charity. Since 1984 Crossroads has provided respite care for carers, who provide care for an elderly, frail, ill or disabled friend or relative. Crossroads aim to meet the needs of carers by providing them with a much-needed break whilst providing peace of mind that their loved one is well taken care of by a Crossroads care attendant.

Website: www.crossroadscare.co.uk

Foyle Hospice 
Foyle Hospice, situated by the River Foyle in Derry/Londonderry, provides palliative and end-of-life care for patients suffering from Cancer.  Patients with other life-limiting illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and COPD are also cared for. Care to patients and their families is free of charge.

Website: http://foylehospice.com/

Marie Curie Hospice 
Set in the leafy suburbs of east Belfast, the Marie Curie Hospice offers specialist care for people living with a terminal illness and support for families, completely free, and in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. They aim to promote the best quality of life and death according to the wishes of the individual person, to meet the needs of people from all cultures and communities, and to employ a dedicated team of health and social care professionals; occupational therapists, chaplains, physiotherapists and social workers.

Website: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/
Feature: Helpline

The Macmillan Unit
The Macmillan Unit is a specialist palliative care in-patient unit located in the grounds of Antrim Area Hospital. The unit provides accommodation to care for twelve adult patients with complex specialist palliative care needs. The majority of in-patients are frail and highly dependent as a result of living with an advanced progressive illness, such as advanced cancer, advanced respiratory disease, motor neurone disease, renal failure or heart failure. The focus of care is to enhance quality of life and offer a holistic approach to care through a wide range of services, including expert clinical assessment and symptom management, rehabilitation, emotional and social support, practical help, complementary therapies and respite care.

Website: http://www.northerntrust.hscni.net/

Northern Ireland Hospice
Northern Ireland Hospice is a local charity caring for local people. Each year they care for over 3,000 adults with life-limiting conditions both in Hospice and in the community. They also support their families and carers. At the Hospice, they see the patient and the family as one unit of care. They put the patient first and their illness second to offer care and support to the whole family.

Website: http://www.nihospicecare.com/

Southern Area Hospice 
Southern Area Hospice Services (SAHS) provides invaluable support and care to people living within the Southern Health Board Area, who are suffering from Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease and AIDS. Their aim is to provide the best quality of life for our patients and their families. All their services are provided free of charge. 

Website: http://www.southernareahospiceservices.org/

Compassionate Communities NI
Compassionate Communities NI takes a public health approach to palliative and end of life care. Their aim is to improve death, dying and loss experiences for everyone in Northern Ireland by empowering people and communities to make positive choices about end of life through leadership, influence, capacity building and training. They promote the importance of social support and community involvement in achieving wellbeing up to and including end of life through kindness, compassion, active citizenship and social inclusion.

Website: https://compassionatecommunitiesni.com/

Carers Northern Ireland
Carers Northern Ireland facilitates a number of Carers Support Groups in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. Operates an advice and information service for carers and professionals, dealing with a range of issues such as carers’ benefits, community care and services for carers.

Website: www.carersuk.org
Feature: Helpline – Forum

Marie Curie
Marie Curie provides provide care and support for more than 40,000 people living with a terminal illness and their families in the UK each year.
Their nurses work night and day, in people’s homes across the UK, providing hands-on care and vital emotional support. Their hospices offer specialist round-the-clock care. And they help people throughout their illness by giving practical information, support from trained volunteers and being there when someone wants to talk.

Website: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/
Feature: Helpline – Forum

Willow
Willow is the only UK charity supporting seriously ill 16 to 40 year olds by providing unique and positive Special Days. We are totally reliant on the generosity of individuals, companies, trusts and foundations to fund our work.
For some their Special Day is a final chance to realise a dream. For others it provides a positive focus away from diagnosis and treatment, boosting confidence and providing the motivation to move forward with their lives. But for all, Special Days are enriching experiences shared with loved ones. They are moments in time that create the memories that will be treasured forever.

Website: www.willowfoundation.org.uk

Action Cancer
Action Cancer is a Northern Ireland Cancer Charity dedicated to saving lives and supporting people impacted by cancer.  We have a range of support services for children/young people and adults impacted by cancer including family members and friends.  Services include: counselling, complementary therapies, acupuncture, one to one life coaching, peer mentoring and a group support programme called Positive Living Programme.

Website: www.actioncancer.org. 

Palliative Care in Partnership (PCiP)
The Palliative Care in Partnership (PCiP) programme was officially formed in Northern Ireland in September 2016. The website provides an overview of the programme including information about palliative care, news and associated resources.

Website: www.pcip.hscni.net

Nidirect
NI Direct brings together lots of information from government departments and agencies, written in language that is easy to understand. You don’t need to know the workings of government to find what you are after. NI Direct offers all the information you need to know in terms of benefits and financial support available in Northern Ireland. They also carry a large amount of information relating to carer’s rights, and links to useful organisations.

Links:
Caring for someone
Death and Bereavement

Family Support Northern Ireland website
Family Support Northern Ireland website provides details of a wide range of services provided by statutory, voluntary and community organisations.

Website: www.familysupportni.gov.uk

Barnardo’s NI
Barnardo’s NI works for children first and last. In over 100 years they have helped improve the lives and opportunities of tens of thousands of children in communities across Northern Ireland.  Barnardo’s run a special child bereavement service for children that have lost someone close to them. They also offer bereavement services to families and adults.

Website: www.barnardos.org.uk/childbereavementservice.htm

Children’s Bereavement Network
The Childhood Bereavement Network (CBN) is the hub for those working with bereaved children, young people and their families across the UK. We underpin our members’ work with essential support and representation: bringing them together across localities, disciplines and sectors to improve bereavement care for children.

Website: http://www.childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/

Cruse Bereavement Care
Cruse Bereavement Care’s vision is that all bereaved people have somewhere to turn when someone dies. Our mission is to offer support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies, and to enhance society’s care of bereaved people.

Website: www.cruse.org.uk
Feature: Helpline

Foyle Hospice – Children & Young Person’s Support Service (4-16 Years) – ‘Healing Hearts’
For the majority of children their loss is their first experience of death and consequently they are often not equipped to deal with the trauma and subsequent changes to their family and circumstances. Often children become overwhelmed by the intense emotions they are feeling and have difficulty expressing their feelings.

The group programme has been set up to deliver 6 sessions every 3 weeks and runs 2 programmes annually. Children and young people attend the group sessions with a parent or carer. Two trained professionals facilitate each session lasting approximately 2 hours. Children and young people participate in a variety of age-appropriate, FUN activities that may vary from arts and crafts to musical activities. Participation is voluntary.

Website: Healing Hearts

HSC Bereavement Network
HSC Bereavement Network website has been developed to provide information and guidance for those who care for and support dying people and their loved ones around the time of and after death. The site also provides information and signposting for bereaved people to relevant support organizations  and sources of further information.

Website: http://www.hscbereavementnetwork.hscni.net/ 

Hope Again
Hope Again is Cruse Bereavement Care’s website for young people.  Cruse is a national charity that provides support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone close to them dies. We also work to enhance society’s care of bereaved people.

Website: http://hopeagain.org.uk/

Winston’s Wish
Every day more than 100 children are bereaved of a parent in the UK. Winston’s Wish exists to ensure that despite what has happened, a child can move forward with hope, courage and strength in the future. Since 1992 , we have built a wealth of knowledge experience in understanding bereavement at a young age. We believe that children need support to sense of death, so that they can rebuild their lives and look forward to a hopeful future. We offer practical and therapeutic face to face support in individual and group settings, and via our national Helpline, website and extensive range of publications. Our expertise is also sought by many professionals and organisations in the UK and overseas.

Website: http://www.winstonswish.org.uk/

Feature: Helpline