Galway Hospice Foundation is a voluntary organisation. It was established in 1986 when a group of local doctors and nurses came together with a view to developing hospice services for the people of Galway city and county, as no such services existed there at the time. While the majority of patients cared for by the Galway Hospice team express the wish to remain at home, and with the support of the Home Care Service are able to do so, there are patients who, for a variety of reasons, may not.