Axminster Hospital League of Friends will pay up to £300,000 a year to fund the project

A Hospiscare at Home service for patients served by Axminster Medical Practice is launching later this year.

The scheme will provide clinical and emotional support for people reaching the end of their life who wish to stay in their own homes.

News that contracts for the service were soon to be signed with Hospiscare was given to the annual meeting of Axminster Hospital League of Friends by chairman Dr Phil Taylor.

Funding the project could cost the League between £250,000 and £300,000 pound a year.

“An awful lot of money but a service it is felt the people of the Axe Valley deserve,” said a spokeswoman.

“Since the closure of our inpatient beds there has been little or no support for the community in this area. The League intends to rectify this. The Friends will need to do some serious money raising to meet these costs.”

Attendance at the annual meeting, in The Guildhall, was slightly down this year but there was competition from the weather, the Cherry Fayre and the Football.

Interesting talks were given by Dr Deepak Sachdeva, Old Age Psychiatrist and Ms Claire Tatton of the Alzheimers society, covering the problems and support available to older people with one of the many conditions which come under the umbrella of dementia.

Dr Taylor spoke about some of the items which the League has provided in the last year. Not least of these was the new digital X-ray equipment for which the group had contributed £65,000.

He said it provided clearer digital images which are stored immediately on computer, giving fast access to GPs and consultants.

Dr Taylor said they had also spent £2,500 on a 24-hour heart monitoring machine for the Axminster Medical Practice.

This again, because of advanced technology, allows the recordings of the machine to be immediately uploaded to patients computerised records. Previously there was up to a 13-week wait for results.

* The League of Friends will be notifying people about the launch of the Hospiscare at Home service in the autumn. In the meantime residents are urged to help support the fundraising for the project.