Dedicated nurses worked across the Christmas and new year period to provide palliative end-of-life care and support to patients in their own homes.

The Partnership for Excellence in Palliative Support service is provided by Moggerhanger’s Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice and commissioned by Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

It co-ordinates care between 15 different organisations to provide a single point of contact via a 24-hour telephone line for adult patients, their family, carers and healthcare professionals. The service also offers home visits.

PEPS has newly launched a night-time palliative care service in Bedfordshire to ensure help is available 24 hours a day for patients who have life-limiting conditions.

Wilma Jassal, who has been a PEPS nurse for five years, said: “We as PEPS nursing assistants have a very privileged job, as it is an honour to be invited into someone’s home at any time of year.

“Everyone’s home is their castle – their personality and lives have evolved in that house, so when you walk in you instantly have a clear understanding of that person.

“When some leave for St John’s, you realise what they are leaving behind and may never see again – so to be part of that life is huge.

“It really gives you an understanding of what they are leaving and losing. It can be really sad.”

When diagnosed with a life-limiting condition, people often have care and support from many different services which are involved in looking after them.

PEPS was implemented permanently after a successful 12-month pilot across Bedfordshire in 2011 and 2012.

A referral to PEPS can make life much easier for the patient and for their family and carers.

PEPS now offers both day and night care at home for palliative patients and their families to help prevent hospital admission, crisis, or to facilitate hospital discharge, give a short term care package and support families or carers.

Referrals to the PEPS service offered by the Moggerhanger hospice can be made by patients, family members of healthcare professionals.

If you’re interested in finding out more, the Sue Ryder St John’s team is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on 01767 641349. Alternatively see sueryder.org.