Scheme giving people option to die at home set up

A service enabling patients on end-of-life care to die at home is being rolled out in a town after a community fundraising effort.

Axminster Hospital League of Friends announced the Axminster Hospice at Home scheme would start with an event being held at the Devon town's Guildhall on 4 June.

The project would allow people in the local area to have the choice to die in their own homes with specialist palliative care nurses funded through the initiative visiting patients.

Chairman Steve Holt said following fundraising efforts, the charity was ready to "fully roll the programme out".

Holt said there were existing services running in nearby Sidmouth and Seaton.

Speaking to BBC Radio Devon as part of Wake Up Call - a series encouraging people to check their health, he said: "The £4m we invested in the hospital many years ago left us a bit short of funds in terms of being able to fund this service.

"The service will have special palliative care nurses going into people's homes where anybody is diagnosed with a life limiting illness of 12 months of less.

"Over the last few years we have significantly fundraised and we now have funds that will ensure that we can support this service for four to five years."

Holt thanked the community and members of the Axminster Hospital League of Friends for their support.

"This service is required and the people of Axminster deserve it," he added.

BBC Radio Devon is running Wake Up Call encouraging everyone to take a look at their health by speaking to a range of experts about health issues and hearing from people in Devon who have been through difficult times.

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