‘HOW people die remains in the memory of those who live on’ was the mantra of Dame Cicely Saunders.

The founder of the modern hospice network, who helped the dying and terminally ill end their lives in the most comfortable ways possible, was as much referring to the family, friends and carers as the person receiving palliative care.

And that point has been identified by an Uttlesford charity, which is developing a new service for carers who are supporting someone at the end of their life.

Crossroads Care, a charity supporting carers, has been given more than £40,000 from NHS West Essex to grow its initiative – called ‘Supporting You At Home’ – which offers support when carers are looking after someone at home who has an ‘end of life diagnosis’.

This includes personal care, practical support such as help with household chores, shopping, and emotional support at times of stress or when the carer has experienced a recent bereavement.

Sue Jeffery, who has 36 years experience in the care sector, has been brought on board to manage the service

“There is a real need in Uttlesford in the end of life care process – there is quite a bit of research available suggesting that this specialist care is not always easily available.

“But it is so important for these carers to be able to have a much-needed break,” she told the Reporter.

The charity will, from the end of February, be taking on new clients; carers and people with care and support needs. And a recruitment process is underway for extra Carer Support Workers – “extraordinary people” who are “sympathetic, calm in a crisis and may even have personal experience of the end of life care process” – to provide the service. These people will work alongside carers and those they care for to meet their individual needs.

“We need passionate people who care about giving a high standard of care and will be able to support carers through a difficult time,” explains Sue.

“They need to be able to support a person with terminal care needs in order to give the carer a break. This could be by carrying out simple tasks such as ironing or washing up, personal and more complex care or things that allow the carer to take some time for themselves or to spend quality time with their loved one.”

Crossroads will provide full training and competitive rates of pay.

• For an application pack, or if you or someone you care for has a terminal diagnosis and you would like to find out more, call Sue Jeffery on 01799 513496 or e-mail sue.jeffery@crossroadseastanglia.org.uk

You can also find information about all out work on the website at crossroadseastanglia.org.uk