Life and Time

Life & Time Launch ‘Wills’ Initiative with local Solicitors

Launching the new Life & Time, Wills initiative for the month of October are: l-r John McGinn, Director Life & Time, Rachel Rice of Rosemary Connolly Solicitors, Sarah Murphy of ES Legal, Charlotte Neary of Donnelly Neary Solicitors and Brian Scullion, Scullion Green Solicitors.

Life & Time Care, the palliative charity which delivers end of life care to Warrenpoint, Burren & Rostrevor (WBR) region and most recently introduced new services to Rathfriland, Hilltown & Mayobridge (RHM) area, have launched a new WILLS promotion service.

The established end of life charity, Life & Time, which provides palliative support to families in WBR and RHM, has this month launched a new service offering creation of a WILL through local solicitors with payment being waived in lieu of a donation to the charity. 

October marks International Palliative Care Day (9th) and this initiative will run throughout the month of October.

Life & Time Director, Solicitor Brian Scullion has developed the initiative. He explains: “Writing a Will or updating an old Will is not difficult with the right advice and support and having your affairs in order can make a huge difference to you and your family. 

“As a local solicitor, and a voluntary Director with Life & Time, I am delighted that this Will Campaign will offer this important service to local people while also supporting the important work of Life & Time. 

“Life & Time is a community based charity, offering end of life care to patients and support for their families. First operating in Warrenpoint, Burren and Rostrevor, earlier this month Life & Time launched a new team of nursing staff in the Rathfriland, Hilltown & Mayobridge area – expanding the services that the charity provides. 

“To date, the charity has supported 45 local families since it was first launched in 2018. We have an amazing team of 40 local nurses working to support end of life care in their own communities and this initiative will help them continue to provide that important service,” Brian adds.

To deliver the October Wills Campaign, Life and Time have teamed up with (with others to be added):

DND Law 

Rosemary Connolly Solicitors

Eamon Sloan Solicitors and 

Scullion and Green Solicitors  

Each practice has agreed to waive their usual fee in return for a donation to the charity. 

Brian explains: “The amount is at your discretion. The suggested minimum is £75 for a single Will and £120 for two reciprocal Wills where – most usually – a husband and wife will make similar wills providing for each other and their family or families. The firm will draw up the basic Will in return for your donation to the charity. If there are other local practices out there who would like to get involved in the initiative please do get in touch with us.” For more information on the Wills Initiative, or to make an appointment with one of the listed solicitors please visit

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LIFE & TIME TO EXPAND TO HILLTOWN RATHFRILAND & MAYOBRIDGE AREA

L-R: John McGinn, Life & Time, Dr. Henry McLaughlin, Life & Time, Dr. John Shannon, Rathfriland Health Centre & Connie Connolly, Nursing Manager with Life & Time

Life & Time, the charity which delivers extra ‘End of Life’ care in the Warrenpoint, Burren and Rostrevor region, is preparing to expand its services to the Hilltown, Rathfriland and Mayobridge area.

The plans, still at the inception stage, will mean Life & Time could provide additional end of life care to support terminally ill patients who choose to die at home in the catchment of Rathfriland Health Centre.

Life & Time is a community-led initiative launched in 2018 by retired GP Doctor Henry McLaughlin and a group from the Warrenpoint, Burren, Rostrevor area, following a series of public consultations.

The Charity anticipated a similar public meeting to discuss plans to introduce the service in the Hilltown, Rathfriland and Mayobridge areas but have been hampered by the COVID Pandemic.

John McGinn, a member of the Voluntary Board of Directors, said: “ We’ve been working to expand the reach of the service for some time behind the scenes. The COVID Pandemic has obviously meant a public meeting is not possible but we hope to host a web forum in July to introduce the charity.”

“One of the key elements to bring us closer to delivery of the service on the ground is to recruit nursing professionals, who live locally, who are interested in working with us to support end of life care in the community,” John added.

The Life & Time service model is based on a bank of nursing staff living in the community being ‘on call’ during the hours of 10pm and 8am so they are able to respond  promptly to a patient /family call for support.

Life & Time Nurse Manager Connie Connolly explains: “Recruiting local nurses means Life & Time can respond within 30 minutes to most calls from the family for advice, reassurance and ensure the patient is symptom free.  The nurses who currently deliver services in Warrenpoint, Burren & Rostrevor are on call 1-2 nights a month depending on availability and are reimbursed for their time.

“The fact that our service is delivered by a local person, who in many cases is known to the family, can be hugely reassuring for them in a time of need.”

Once launched, the service can only be accessed by GP referral in consultation with the family.

Doctor John Shannon, GP with the Rathfriland Health Centre, says it’s something he has been keen to see rolled out in the local area.

“I’ve watched with interest the service in our neighbouring towns and villages and have been impressed by its responsiveness and flexible approach to patients, when other out of hours services are stretched.

“It’s providing a very important palliative care service to local communities. It’s quick to access, quick to respond and at its heart, enables local people to address local need. The charity provides the framework  for a community to look after its own, which is to be commended. I look forward to seeing the service become available in this area,” Doctor Shannon adds.

Mr McGinn says the next step for the charity is to host a public web-based information session later this month and begin a recruitment drive for nursing personnel living in the local area. The information session will be designed to facilitate a Q&As and outline how Life & Time delivers palliative care for terminal patients who wish to be at home in their final days.

“The Directors of Life & Time will be hosting a Facebook Live mid-June and would invite everyone in the community who has an interest in the service to follow our  social channels to find out more,” he added.

If you have an questions, or are a nurse interested in working with Life & Time in the Hilltown, Rathfriland and Mayobridge area please follow Life & Time Care on Facebook & Twitter, visit www.lifeandtimecare.org or contact Office 02841180019 Mob 07966935352 or email expressions of interest along with your name and address to [email protected].

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Life & Time Launched!

LIFE & TIME, COMMENCES SERVICES IN WARRENPOINT, ROSTREVOR & BURREN REGION

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