If you are in hospital or in an outpatient clinic and special palliative medical or palliative care issues arise or decisions need to be made, the palliative consultation service can be called in.

The palliative consultation service consists of a team of different professional groups. All professional groups are specially trained to support people with serious, incurable illnesses. The palliative consultation service advises doctors and nursing staff on wards and in outpatient clinics. The service does not therefore address patients directly.

Costs: there are no additional costs.

Palliative care units are wards in hospitals that specialize in the care of people with serious, incurable illnesses. Palliative care units are suitable if you are in a particularly challenging and difficult medical, nursing or psychosocial situation and require round-the-clock care. Admission to a palliative care unit is necessary if this round-the-clock medical and nursing care is not possible elsewhere, for example at home or in a retirement or nursing home, or through other services. This is the case, for example, if your condition has deteriorated rapidly. In a palliative care unit, your state of health is stabilized so that you can be discharged home, to a care facility or to an inpatient hospice. Palliative care units are also specially designed to meet the needs of terminally ill patients: For example, there is a homely atmosphere there. As a rule, there are single or second bed rooms and overnight accommodation for relatives or trusted persons.

Costs: If you are covered by social insurance, you have to pay the same cost contribution per hospital day on a palliative care ward as on any other ward in a hospital. This hospital cost contribution varies depending on the federal state. The contribution is required per patient for all hospital stays up to a maximum of 28 days per calendar year; from the 29th day onwards, social insurance covers these costs in full.

You can find addresses of palliative care centers here: