Health bosses in mid and north Essex are celebrating after benefiting from a lottery windfall.

St Helena Hospice, in Colchester, and Maldon and South Chelmsford Primary Care Trust both scooped thousands of pounds from the recent round of the lottery's new opportunities fund.

It is part of a £7.5 million cash handout to help hospice and carers at home in the region and support people coping with life-limiting illnesses, as well as funding the development and extension of existing palliative care services.

Maldon and South Chelmsford Primary Care Trust received a double dose of good news.

It has been awarded £339,696 for its children's respite care service in south-east Essex and a further £382,053 for respite care for children in mid and north-west Essex.

St Helena Hospice has been given a £360,002 grant to help launch a new scheme, in partnership with Tendring Primary Care Trust, to allow terminally ill people to be nursed at home in their final days.

Graham Reardon, fundraising director for the High Woods-based hospice, said news about the grant was excellent, as without the cash the scheme would be in doubt.

"It will mean we can launch this scheme, which has been in demand for some time.

"It is essentially a hospice-at-home service and will mean people at the end of their life who need 24-hour nursing care can have that and be at home."

Published Wednesday, January 29, 2003

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