The help and support given to Angus residents in need of palliative and end of life care has been strengthened with the appointment of a new senior nurse.
The £40,000-a-year post, funded initially by Forfar-based charity Lippen Care, has been taken by Elaine Colville, who has 24 years of palliative care experience.
Her role as Lippen Care Senior Nurse for Palliative Care combines with the role of developing a palliative and end of life strategy for adults in Angus.
Elaine will work alongside staff in community hospitals and care homes to improve the care delivered to people, in addition to working on strategy development.
She said: “I will be listening to, and gathering, the views of people’s experiences of palliative and end of life care.
“I am keen to hear about what is done well and what we can do better. We need to ensure the strategy is future-focused and deliverable.”
Angus is one of the first health and social care partnerships in Scotland to develop a strategy for palliative and end of life care for adults.
Gail Smith, head of community health and care services (North Angus), said: “The Angus HSCP is very appreciative to Lippen Care for providing funding for this important post.
“A major element of Elaine’s role is the provision of education, both formal and informal, to the multi-professional and multi-agency team.”
Moira Nicoll, Lippen Care chairman, said the charity was delighted to be able to fund Elaine in the new positions.
She said: “The combined post is vital for the development of palliative care in this area.
“It will provide important care and information for everyone involved in this field, whether it be in hospitals, care homes or being able to stay in one’s own home if preferred.
“Elaine has great experience and will be a tremendous asset to palliative care.
“This is a progression for palliative care continuing on from the hospice unit in Whitehills, but of course this will remain the priority for Lippen to maintain the high standard of this unit for the local community”.
Lippen Care announced in April it was to appoint a senior palliative care nurse in a move described as its most significant step since the opening of the Strathmore Hospice at Forfar more than a decade ago.
It is funding the £40,000-a-year post in its first year, with mainstream funding coming under the Angus Care Model thereafter.
Lippen Care raised £750,000 to build and equip the Strathmore Hospice in the Whitehills Health and Community Care Centre.
The hospice is run in partnership with the NHS, which funds and provides nursing and medical care.
