RHIAN EVANS

COLUMNIST

GIVEN the choice, most people say they would prefer to spend the end of their life in their own home.

You can understand why. Despite the fact that we all go through it, people can still be frightened by death, and to have your own comforts and be in familiar surroundings can help bring a sense of calm at the end of life.

The Marie Curie Hospice at Home service across Cardiff and the Vale allows our nurses and healthcare assistants to provide tailored services for people living with a terminal illness throughout the area.

Launched in January 2016 with support from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and the Welsh Government, Hospice at Home makes it possible for more people to be cared for and die a dignified death in their own home when this is their preference.

Co-ordinated by Marie Curie senior nurses, the service is available any time, any day of the week in Cardiff and the Vale.

The senior nurses work closely with patients, their families, local district nurses and other care professionals, to assess and plan the care to meet each patient’s needs.

If appropriate, our senior nurses may also refer an individual to other local Marie Curie services, including at the hospice in Penarth, such as complementary therapies, wellbeing programmes and support for families.

We welcome patient referrals from all district nurses and GPs in Cardiff and the Vale if: They are aged 18 or older Have a terminal diagnosis and are eligible for NHS continuing healthcare

Are able to be safely cared for at home, with prior agreement from their GP, primary care team or multi-disciplinary team

Our Hospice at Home service is directly linked with fast-track continuing healthcare, which is designed to help people with a rapidly deteriorating condition get the urgent care they need.

The local NHS medical team are able to use a Fast Track Pathway Tool to avoid a lengthy assessment process, to enable people to receive support in their preferred place of care either at home, in the hospice or care home.

If you have questions about care packages for someone living with a terminal illness, please call our information and support line on 0800 090 2309.

The Marie Curie Support Line offers free confidential support and practical information on all aspects of terminal illness.

Over the past 18 months, this brilliant partnership between Marie Curie and the Cardiff and the Vale University Health Board has brought together the skills and expertise of both organisations in order to provide better care for people in the area.

Allowing people at the end of their life to have choice over where they want to die, putting support in place to enable them to do that, is vitally important.

This service means that we are better placed to deliver a service that really meets the needs of our patients and their families.

Rhian Evans is clinical nurse manager for south-east Wales at Marie Curie