The Hospice was opened in 1989 following the conversion and development of a 1930’s Cottage Hospital originally built with a legacy from Dr John Kershaw, a local General Practitioner and Medical Officer of Health. The Hospice has recently undergone a major building programme of expansion and refurbishment that offers high quality patient accommodation that fully complies with all current legislation.

Dr Kershaw’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care for adults with non-curable life-threatening illnesses in a peaceful and homely environment with accommodation for 12 inpatients and 15 day care places. In addition it provides support for patient’s relatives and carers. The medical and nursing staff are experienced in palliative medicine and are supported by a multi-disciplinary team of specialist nurses, allied health professionals, social workers, spiritual counsellors and bereavement support workers who assist in providing a seamless service for patients across hospital, community and hospice boundaries.

Dr Kershaw’s Hospice is an independent Hospice and a registered charity (Charity No. 1105924). It is partially funded by NHS monies in the form of annual grants based on Service Level Agreements. The major part of the annual budget is supported by fund-raising activities, donations, legacies, income from hospice shops and revenue from the hospice lottery.

The Hospice serves a population of some 230,000 people drawn from Oldham and its surrounding districts. It enjoys a close working relationship with the Oldham Primary Care Trust and the Pennine Acute NHS Trust.