A specialist nurse has been appointed by Wirral Hospice St John's as its first key worker for people with motor neurone disease.

Having supported many families in Wirral and Ellesmere Port for the previous ten years, working with a varied and diverse caseload, public health Liz Stear, works alongside local health and social care agencies as a dedicated link for all the people in the area living with with the terminal illness, alongside their families and other carers.

The appointment is part of a groundbreaking partnership between the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Wirral Hospice St John's.

As part of the hospice multi-disciplinary care team, Liz will signpost services and recommend approaches that have benefited many people to live as well as they possibly can with life-limiting illnesses.

Liz will work with people living with the disease, and their families, to understand their physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological needs and then support them to bring in the most appropriate care professionals and, where necessary, advocate for the home adaptations which will help them to live as full and independent a life as possible.

The mum-of-four who loves spending time with family and friends. Away from work, she plays netball and also recently joined a local ladies touch rugby group.

On her new role, Liz said: "Wirral Hospice St John's and the Motor Neurone Disease Association are a perfect partnership.

"I'm delighted to use my career experience in nursing and local knowledge to meet and represent all those people living with MND, alongside their families and other carers, so that we can get them all the most suitable support for their personal circumstances."

The role was created within Wirral Hospice St John’s after an anonymous benefactor left £100,000 to the local Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Debbie Williams, chair of the Wirral MNDA Group, said: "We are thrilled that this key worker post is now up and running.

"While it is still quite early days, Liz has already shown herself to be the ideal person, she not only has the necessary experience and skillset but she has the gift of empathy which is absolutely vital for her role. We are delighted to be working alongside the hospice team in this venture.”

Chris Sutcliffe, Wirral Hospice St John’s Clinical Director said: "One person’s generous legacy has enabled us to partner with our local MNDA group to help more people living with this most complex and challenging disease.

"As a single local point of contact, Liz is exactly the right person to liaise with people throughout their 'MND journey', to help facilitate their decision making and care planning.

"We're delighted that Wirral MNDA chose to work with us and that we have been able to add Liz to our caring team of professionals and increase timely access to other hospice services for people living with MND."

For more information or to make a donation to either charity, go to: www.wirralhospice.org