Mandatory Credit: Photo by Press Eye Ltd/REX/Shutterstock (9332310s) Sophie Countess of Wessex visits Northern Ireland Hospice Sophie Countess of Wessex visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland - 23 Jan 2018 The new L13m Northern Ireland Hospice building in Belfast was officially opened today by the Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex. The Royal visitor, unveiled a plaque to commemorate the opening of the charity's dementia-friendly facility which provides specialist palliative care services to people from all over Northern Ireland in Hospice and in the community. The adult hospice, located in the north of the city nearby the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice, was completed and opened last spring, with 18 private en-suite bedrooms, private gardens, rehabilitation suites, a community nursing hub and a dedicated Education and Research Centre, making it a world leader in palliative care.