A new specialist palliative care pharmacist has joined the Western Health and Social Care Trust.

Grace Elliott will work with the palliative care team at the South West Acute Hospital, Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex and Foyle Hospice.

Her role is one of two new specialist pharmacist positions created to strengthen the multi-disciplinary palliative care team.

She said: "The clinical pharmacist specialist in palliative care is a new role to the Western Trust.

"I support patients and their families with medicine and Palliative and End of Life Care needs in the acute, community and hospice setting.

"I offer support and medication counselling around symptom management such as pain, breathlessness, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, delirium and agitation and noisy respiratory secretions in their preferred place of care, as they approach the end of their life and avoid inappropriate hospital admission."

She also supports patient-focused decisions regarding de-prescribing and helps healthcare professionals in these decisions.

She said: "Being a specialist palliative care pharmacist is a really fulfilling job.

"Although the emotional impact can be a challenging aspect of the job, I have found that being able to contribute towards improving people’s quality of life and to helping those to live well despite their life limiting illness very worthwhile."

She emphasised the importance of a "good death" for those with an advanced non-curative condition, irrespective of their condition or care setting.

Ms Elliott added: "In a time of sorrow, worry and pain, families have shown so much gratitude for the work of the specialist palliative care team.

"Being part of this team is a wonderful thing."