This week we are marking Dying Matters Week at the Trust (2-6 May), a week where communities across the country come together to talk about death, dying and bereavement. To begin the week, we wanted to introduce you to our new End of Life team, who provide support to patients in their last days and hours of life as well as provide support and guidance for anyone who is bereaved.
Jo Gaskell
I qualified in 1997 and initially worked in surgery, I then went on to manage a Surgical 
Day Case unit. Following that role, I moved into palliative care and worked as the Head of In-Patients at a Hospice. I re-joined ELHT in 2012 as a Palliative Care CNS working in Community and then within the Hospital. I have always enjoyed teaching and undertaking projects which improve patient care and I was successful in obtaining the End of Life Educator role. I thoroughly enjoyed this role as I felt I was able to make a positive difference to the care of patients and those important to them.
I was appointed in October 2021 as the End of Life and Bereavement Clinical Lead Nurse. This is a new and exciting role and I feel that the End of Life and Bereavement team will be able to improve patient care by providing education to staff across the Trust, supporting those who are in the last days of their lives and offering bereavement support.
I have always been passionate about providing excellent care and believe that the little things we do can make a massive difference to patients and their families at what can be a distressing and difficult time.
Jo Carter
My name is Jo I have been a nurse for 11.5 years, Prior to joining the End of Life and 
Bereavement team I was a Critical Care Sister at LTHTR, but I also have previous experience in Neonatology, Acute Medicine and facilitating an ePMA system within the Trust.
I have joined the team as End of Life and Bereavement care has always been an area I am extremely passionate about and in my previous roles I have a vast amount of experience caring for those who are dying and have strived to ensure that the care delivered is dignified and of the highest quality. I firmly believe that we have one chance to do this right and being able to support patients and their loved ones in their last hours, days or months is an honour.
Joining this team is a very exciting and rewarding prospect, I am keen to offer education to staff within the hospital and community settings, which will ensure that our patients and their relatives receive the holistic end of life care and bereavement support they deserve and would wish to receive.
Chris Greaves-Thomas
I am Chris, the Bereavement Specialist Nurse for ELHT. I have been
in post since June 2021 and have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the clinical areas and specialist teams to support patients and those close to them as they die.
I started my career as a healthcare assistant on a stroke rehabilitation unit in 2009, going on to qualify in 2014 as a recovery and anaesthetic nurse. I moved into a bereavement and tissue donation nursing role in 2019 and worked as a bereavement and donation specialist nurse prior to joining ELHT.
My previous roles have allowed me to grow as a nurse, and have allowed me to support patients, relatives and staff members in very trying circumstances. I feel that I am incredibly fortunate to have the time and the knowledge to be able to provide this support, and to help people through what can often be an incredibly difficult time.
Fiona Crossthwaite
Hi, I am Fiona, an End of Life and Bereavement Practitioner for East Lancashire Hospitals
Trust. I joined the team in February 2022 after having worked for the North West Ambulance Service since 2005.
My years as a paramedic gave me the skills and confidence to support patients and their families through very challenging, life changing events. For me, moving into the End of Life and Bereavement Team was the perfect opportunity for me to be able to use my previous experience to support people as they approach the end of their life, and support those close to them to process their grief.
I have always been incredibly passionate about end of life care and I feel that it is a particular privilege to provide support and guidance to those that are affected by bereavement.
Lisa Fox
My name is Lisa. I am a member of the new End of Life and Bereavement team. I began my 
working life washing up at the weekends in a residential home for the elderly at the age of around 15/16 years old. I had a variety of care assistant roles both in private residential and nursing homes and the hospital ward environment prior to eventually qualifying as a registered nurse in 2013.
I began this new journey on a gastroenterology ward before moving into community nursing and more recently returned to the hospital environment in the emergency department. In each of these working environments I have supported patients and their loved ones through the dying and bereavement stages of life.
When I found out a position with the End of Life and Bereavement team was available I knew I just had to apply and not let the opportunity bypass me. Providing nursing and emotional care to patients as they approach the end of their lives and their loved ones is truly a privilege and an honour.
Rachael Duxbury
My name is Rachael Duxbury and I have worked for the Trust for 20 years; I have spent 
this entire time with the Specialist Palliative Care Service and although I loved every minute working with this amazing team, I decided it was time to move on.
I wanted to work with this new team as it was an exciting opportunity to be involved and contribute to the development of the service, utilising the experience I had gained with the palliative care team.
To be involved with a service that has the potential to have a positive impact during such a sad time, and to be able to assist/advise and support the most vulnerable, be it patients, staff or anyone who is bereaved is an absolute honour.