The atmosphere at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow, where 95% of patients suffer from cancer, is not what you would perhaps imagine.

The atmosphere at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow, where 95% of patients suffer from cancer, is not what you would perhaps imagine.

"Our hospice is a vibrant place. We try to encourage our patients to live every single day to the full. Yes, there are times when it gets sad, but there is a lot of life about this hospice," said chief executive Rhona Baillie.

"Our approach is that you can't prevent a disease but what you can do is make every day a little more bearable. That brings huge satisfaction for us."

Mrs Baillie has been involved in delivering palliative care for more than 20 years and described this form of support as "invaluable and all encompassing".

"We look at the physical, psychological, spiritual and social health of everyone who comes here. We treat the patient and not the disease. It is treating them as a person and the families of that person are included in everything we do here."

The hospice, gifted to the Prince and Princess of Wales as a wedding present from the former Lord Provost of Glasgow Michael Kelly in 1981, has 14 beds and 20 day care spaces where patients can access everything from pain relief to a haircut. Arts and crafts and occupational therapy are also on offer.

Many people who visit day care end up taking a bed there when their condition deteriorates.

Community services, where nurses visit people in their own home, are being developed to cope with the demand at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice.

"Fourteen beds is probably the most we will ever have, but we always find a way to manage that."

Mrs Baillie said that people working together was the most effective to bring palliative care to the people.

"I was involved with an out- of-hours service in Lanarkshire which was recognised by the Scottish Parliament. It was a huge success. Everyone worked together - the hospice, the hospital and the community care - and it made it the best it could be. Cutting the red tape and letting people get on with it is what really works."