The article focuses on British contribution to the development of palliative and hospice care in Poland in the 1980s and beyond. It is based on archival research in the hospices in Cracow and Poznan and broad-scoped Polish journals' review. The social background of the hospice movement in Poland is described. We explore the role of inspiration and help of Dame Cicely Saunders and other British leaders in the transfer of British hospice philosophy and practice of palliative care to the medical community in Poland. This study demonstrates the importance of institutions for the formal exchange of medical information.
Keywords: Cicely Saunders; Polish hospice movement; history of palliative care; palliative education.