Cash boost to help care for terminally ill

HEALTH Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has announced new support for round-the-clock community nursing and home care for people who are terminally ill.

A total of 3 million will be made available across Scotland to help patients to be cared for at home at the end of life. Lothian is expected to receive around 400,000 under the action plan, Living and Dying Well, which sets out a new direction for palliative care in Scotland.

Speaking at the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care conference in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon said: "For the first time there will be a single, comprehensive approach for the provision of palliative and end of life care across Scotland. People with any advanced, progressive or incurable illness should receive the best palliative care available, regardless of their diagnosis or where they live."