Established in 2001, the service has expanded its multidisciplinary team and introduced a dedicated outpatient consultation for patients and families, while providing care beyond oncology since 2010.

The Palliative Care Unit serving Ibiza and Formentera has supported more than 6,500 patients and their families during its first 25 years of operation.

The milestone was marked on Thursday, 15 October 2026, with a meeting between the unit’s team, Balearic Islands Health Minister Manuela García and representatives of the Ibiza and Formentera Health Area.

Established in 2001, the service provides specialised support for people with advanced illnesses, focusing on symptom management, quality of life and continuity of care. It also supports relatives and caregivers during difficult stages of illness.

More Than 2,600 Visits Recorded in 2025

During 2025, the unit cared for 368 patients and recorded:

• 1,024 home visits

• 396 outpatient consultations

• 1,571 visits to patients admitted to Can Misses Hospital

These figures reflect the service’s work across patients’ homes, outpatient care and hospital wards.

The unit’s approach is designed to help manage symptoms and the side effects of treatment, while supporting patients and their families as needs change. Palliative care can also help provide continuity when a patient’s condition stabilises after treatment for an advanced illness.

A Multidisciplinary Team With Three Doctors

The service began with one doctor and has developed into a multidisciplinary team. Following the addition of a third doctor in 2025, it now comprises three doctors, one nurse, one psycho-oncology specialist and one nursing care technician.

The current coordinator is Dr Lorena Hortelano. The other doctors are Dr Belén Fernández Nievas and Dr Valentina Duhalde.

The team’s work combines medical care with nursing and psychological support, recognising that serious illness affects both patients and the people close to them.

Care Extends Beyond Cancer

Around 80% of patients treated by the unit have oncological conditions. However, since 2010, the service has also provided palliative care to people with other illnesses.

Palliative care is intended to improve quality of life for people facing serious or advanced disease. It can include managing pain and other symptoms, addressing treatment side effects, supporting families and helping coordinate care between different healthcare professionals.

It is not limited to the final days of life. Depending on the patient’s needs, support may be provided continuously or at particular stages of an illness.

New Outpatient Consultation at Can Misses Hospital

The expansion of the team in 2025 enabled the unit to introduce a new consultation service for patients and their families.

Located on the ground floor of Building C at Can Misses Hospital, the consultation operates from Monday to Friday in the morning.

The service aims to help patients and caregivers manage symptoms, understand the effects of treatment and receive guidance as care needs evolve.

The development reflects the unit’s efforts to provide support beyond hospital admissions and home visits, giving patients and families another point of access to specialised palliative care.

Twenty-Five Years of Support in the Pitiusas

The unit was established one year after the area’s Hospital-at-Home service and was initially developed by Dr Pilar Rapún Jiménez, who coordinated it until 2025, and then head of oncology Dr Belén González Grajera. The original team also included nurse Patricia Cruz and psychologist Teresa Fluixà.

Over the following 25 years, the service has expanded its staffing and range of care while continuing to focus on patients’ quality of life and support for their families.

The anniversary recognises the contribution of the healthcare professionals who have developed the service and the thousands of patients and relatives who have received care across Ibiza and Formentera.