Charity launches 24/7 palliative care service in Fareham and Gosport

Marie Curie has launched its multi-visiting service in Fareham and Gosport for residents who are terminally ill.

It will provide end-of-life care and support for people who have been approved for fast-track healthcare and are thought to be in the last 12 weeks of their lives.

The charity's service has a team of 10 staff and operates seven days a week.

As well as one-to-one nursing care, overnight support can also be given if required. 

Patients are referred to the service via GPs, district nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Fiona Brown is the senior nurse in Fareham and Gosport. She said: '˜I'm really loving my role so far at Marie Curie.

'˜I'm enjoying getting to know patients on a more personal level, which you don't often get time to do in the hospital.

'˜I feel a lot of families are grateful for the extra support we provide for their loved ones.

'˜Since we started seeing patients in mid-April, we have been extremely busy and we are seeing a good amount of referrals from the Queen Alexandra Hospital, GPs and district nurses.

'˜One thing we've found is that a lot of patients we look after are really struggling and often don't have any other support networks apart from Marie Curie's nursing service, which shows how vital our support can be.'

The amount of time the nursing staff spend with each patient varies but most visits last between 30 minutes and an hour. In some cases, two health care assistants will attend. 

Due to the success of the Fareham and Gosport service, Marie Curie is looking to extend it to other areas in the south.

Carol Drake Sexton, Marie Curie regional manager, said: '˜It is great to see the success and impact our new service is having in Fareham and Gosport.

'˜As a charity, we want to provide care and support for as many people affected by terminal illness as possible and we are seeing that with this new service.

'˜At the current time the service only serves postcodes in Fareham and Gosport but we hope in time to support more people, by expanding the service to cover other adjacent postcodes in surrounding areas as well.'