Islanders with life-limiting illnesses are to be offered additional support in making the most of their last 12 months of life.
The Living Well initiative, to be launched next month by the Health Department, Jersey Hospice Care and other organisations in the sector, will focus on co-ordinating care for patients – addressing everything from physical needs to spiritual, psychological and social wishes.
Made up of experienced nurses, based at Hospice headquarters at Mount Cochon but operating in healthcare sites across the island, the Living Well Team will also provide support for family members of those who have received a terminal diagnosis.
Rose Naylor, Director of Palliative Care Services for Hospice, said the initiative would encompass collaboration among health and care providers and a focus on personalised care and individual needs and wishes.
“This is a welcome development, especially as we know life can change quickly after a life-limiting diagnosis, and it is normal for people to feel overwhelmed,” she said.
“The Living Well team of experienced nurses will support islanders and their families from the point of diagnosis with whatever matters most to them – whether that is managing symptoms, talking through worries, or helping with practical concerns.
“The team will work alongside other health and care providers to support care that is co-ordinated and enables the person to live well in a way that is right for them.”
A doctor and two nurse educators have also been appointed to fill a need identified in the recent Palliative and End-of-Life Care Strategy for Adults in Jersey by training health and care workers, as well as family members, to deliver holistic and compassionate care for dying islanders.
The trio of educators will cover advance care planning and the importance of having early conversations with patients to learn how they wish to be cared for as their illness progresses.
Symptom control will be another element, to help in easing symptoms such as pain, and nausea, to provide the best quality of life.
Launching the two initiatives comes on the back of Dying Matters Week, which ran from 5-11 May with the aim of breaking down the taboo of talking about death and dying.
A pop-up stand will be in place at Charing Cross in St Helier on Thursday 15 May between 10:30 and 15:00, offering islanders the chance to discuss the issues around end-of-life care with experts.