Galway Hospice Foundation supported more than 1,600 patients across its services during 2025, up from 1,344 patients in 2024, as growing and changing demand for specialist palliative care continued to shape how care is delivered across Galway and Mayo.
The Foundation’s newly published Impact Statement – Annual Report 2025 highlights the expanding range of services enabling people living with life-limiting illnesses to receive specialist care and support while remaining at home and connected to their communities.
Galway Hospice’s Community Palliative Care Team supported 1,124 patients in their own homes, nursing homes and other community settings during 2025, an increase of 11% from 1,017 patients in 2024.
Throughout the year, the team made 26,564 patient calls and 7,140 visits, compared with 21,916 calls and 6,981 visits in 2024. The service is available seven days a week and works closely with patients, families and healthcare professionals to provide specialist symptom management, clinical advice and emotional and practical support.
The impact of this support can also be seen in patient outcomes. In 2025, 86% of patients receiving care from the Community Palliative Care Team died at home, while 72% of patients supported by the team were never readmitted to an acute hospital. Despite growing demand, 99% of community referrals were seen within seven days.
Mary Nash, Chief Executive of Galway Hospice Foundation, said:
“The number of people accessing our services reflects both the growing need for specialist palliative care and the importance of being able to provide that care in the right place, at the right time. For many people, that means remaining at home, surrounded by the people and things that are familiar to them, while having access to the specialist support they need.”
Day Care experienced significant growth during 2025, with 265 patients making 1,307 attendances across Galway and Mayo, compared with 160 patients and 991 attendances in 2024. Services continued to evolve through programmes including Breathe Better and EMPOWER and the introduction of the FAB (Fatigue, Anxiety and Breathlessness) Programme in Mayo.
The Foundation also expanded specialist therapies beyond its buildings, with Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy available in the community. Overall, 581 patients received 8,147 therapy sessions across Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Aromatherapy, Art Therapy and Music Therapy, with Music Therapy becoming increasingly established as part of the Foundation’s therapeutic services during the year.
Alongside the expansion of community-based services, 639 patients were cared for across the Galway and Mayo Inpatient Units during 2025, with 206, nearly one in three, discharged home or to another community-based setting.
Galway Hospice’s 18-bed Inpatient Unit cared for 351 patients, an increase of 4% compared with 2024, with 99% of patients admitted within seven days. Mayo Hospice’s 14-bed unit cared for 288 patients, with 98% admitted within seven days.
The scale of care provided across Galway is also reflected in the report, which shows that 81% of people in the county who died with a malignant diagnosis in 2025 were cared for by Galway Hospice.
Medical Social Work and bereavement services also provided practical and emotional support throughout the year, recording 4,189 contacts with patients, 3,268 contacts with carers and 1,347 bereavement support services. New initiatives included Carers Connect in Galway and Mayo, while the Bereavement Café continued to provide support to the wider community, with 63.5% of participants having been bereaved outside hospice services.
The increasing reach and changing nature of specialist palliative care also underline the need to ensure Galway Hospice has the capacity to respond to future demand. During 2025, agreement was reached with the HSE to progress the development of a new, enlarged Galway Hospice, with the project continuing to advance in 2026.
Mary Nash explained:
“Our current facilities are no longer adequate to meet the needs of our patients and families, and this project represents an important investment in the future of specialist palliative care in Galway. Demand for our services has grown significantly, and we are already operating within very limited space. A new hospice will give us the capacity to support more patients in an environment designed around their needs, while allowing us to continue developing the range of specialist services we provide.”
The organisation’s Annual Patient Experience Survey recorded an overall satisfaction score of 9.75 out of 10, up from 9.64 in 2024. Galway Hospice Foundation also successfully completed its three-year CHKS accreditation review across Galway and Mayo, achieving 99.26% compliance against 770 quality standards.
During the year, Galway and Mayo Hospices also became the first hospices in the west of Ireland to achieve the Investing in Volunteers quality standard, while Galway Hospice Foundation became the first hospice service to receive the CHKS Green Award.
Galway Hospice Foundation recorded income of €17.29 million and expenditure of €15.56 million in 2025. For every €1 spent during the year, 95 cent went towards delivering care and support, with four cent spent on fundraising and one cent on governance.
Galway Hospice Foundation provides specialist palliative care free of charge to patients and families across Galway and Mayo, supporting people in their homes and communities and through Inpatient and Day Care services in Galway and Castlebar. Volunteers play an important role in supporting this work, with 161 volunteers contributing to care services during 2025 and more than 500 people supporting the Foundation through fundraising activities.
The full report is available to read and download at: Galway-Hospice-Annual-Report-2025.pdf
Photo caption: Members of the Galway Hospice Foundation Board pictured with the newly published Impact Statement – Annual Report 2025, which highlights the Foundation’s work supporting more than 1,600 patients across Galway and Mayo during the year. First row, from left: Mark Flanagan, Dorothy Kelly, Kevin Moore and Jean Kelly. Second row, from left: Dr Ray Doyle, Prof Lokesh Joshi, Jim Browne and Alyson Banks.
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