This service is provided free of charge.  On receiving a referral from a doctor, hospital, patient's family or friend, the palliative care nurse will make a telephone contact and a home visit within 24 hours.  During this first visit, she will explain the programme to the patient and family, examine the patient's clinical record (or doctor's notes) if available and decide whether to admit the patient into the programme.  An important factor for admission is that there is a primary carer available at all times to care the patient at home.  This carer can be a family member, a neighbour or a close friend.  If admited into the programme, the nurse will make subsequent visits, sometimes accompanied by a doctor when necessary.  She will explain the purpose of different medications given and monitor the compliance, give nursing aidand show the primary carer simple nursing care that shold be done daily, e.g. mouth care, turning of bed-ridden patients, use of commodes, wound dressing etc.  If the patient and family agree, the nurse may introduce a treained lay volunteer as a member of the palliative care team who will later make more frequent visits than the nurse have time to do, and provide care, comfort and company to the patient.  Our palliative care team (staff and volunteers) will respect the patient and family's traditions, cultural practice and beliefs and will not interfere with them and remain srictly neutral in case of any disagreement among family members.  To obtain the best from the HHP programme, early referral is important.  The patient and family can opt to leave the programme at any time.