Marie Curie launches pilot project in Derbyshire

Marie Curie has chosen Derbyshire to launch a pilot where terminally ill patients and their carers, who are not in contact with a District Nurse, can contact the charity directly to request free nursing care at home.

The Marie Curie Nursing Service is normally accessed through a referral from a GP or District Nurse, and this will not change. However, there may be an unmet need for support amongst people who do not have a District Nurse to refer them, or who may be unaware of the services available to them. The new pilot, launched with the support of NHS Derby City and NHS Derbyshire County, hopes to reach out to these groups.

Marie Curie Nurses provide care for terminally ill people in their own homes, during the day and at night. The service is always free of charge for patients and their carers. The nurses help relieve symptoms such as pain or breathlessness and make people as comfortable as possible, giving carers and family members a chance to rest or spend quality time with their loved one.

Jackie Mason, Marie Curie Nursing Service Manager for Derbyshire, said: The two year pilot is the first of its kind run by Marie Curie.  It has been put in place to ensure that more terminally ill people in the area have access to the care they need to be able to spend their final days at home, the place most people would choose to be. 

 “We really want people, particularly carers who are looking after loved ones at home, to know that our nursing service is available to support them. Lots of people are unaware of the free service Marie Curie Nurses provide and often struggle to care for loved ones on their own, especially at night. Our nurses care for people with cancer as well as other terminal illnesses like heart failure, chronic lung disease and motor neurone disease.”

To find out more information, please call Marie Curie Cancer Care on 0800 206 1464 or if you have a District Nurse, ask them to refer you.

Carers can phone on behalf of the person they are looking after. People need to be 18 or over and living in Derbyshire with a terminal illness requiring nursing care at home to be eligible.

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