Asian children with life-threatening illnesses in Bradford are getting better access to care - thanks to the work of a charity-funded support worker.

Rahila Mughal, 34, has been working with the South Asian community to persuade them to make better use of palliative care facilities for children with complex health problems.

The mother-of-two, who came to live in Bradford when she was 21 after graduating in psychology in her native Pakistan, has been working for the past year as a family support worker to the South Asian community within the children's community team, based at Bradford City Teaching Primary Care Trust.

The job is a UK first and is being funded by Macmillan Cancer Support for three years, after which funding will be taken up by the PCT.

The decision to employ Mrs Mughal was taken after health professionals in the district realised that many Asian families were not tapping into respite care, palliative care and continuing care because of language problems, cultural barriers or misunderstandings.

Now Mrs Mughal, who is fluent in Urdu, Punjabi, Mirpuri and English, acts as a linguistic and cultural bridge where health professionals believe Asian families are not accessing services that could help them.

She works with the families of children with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses in Bradford and Airedale.

"I found it really difficult at first because it is a very sensitive role," she said. "I spoke to my sister because I felt I could not cope and she said if all health professionals thought like that no one would help the families.

"After that it became easier and I just learned to cope and I have had very positive feedback. I can't cure these children but I can help them and do something positive in their lives."

Urdu has no words for hospice, palliative care and continuing care, so Mrs Mughal helped redesign leaflets, coming up with new phrases to describe services unfamiliar to Asian cultures.

She also set up a South Asian Women's Support Group aimed at mothers of sick children, some of whom had not been out of their homes for two years.

"I think the families find it helpful that I am from the same culture and the same ethnicity," she said.

Her successes include persuading the mother of a boy with a life-limiting metabolic disease, who had already lost two children to the same condition, to make use of respite care at Martin House Hospice over the summer while her husband is away in Pakistan.

She had always previously refused such help, but after Mrs Mughal's intervention it was discovered she thought hospices were for children to go to die, as a daughter had done previously.

Mrs Mughal was able to explain about respite care and help the family.

In another case doctors were concerned the mother of a 12-year-old boy with leukaemia had no awareness of the implications of her son's condition.

Mrs Mughal discovered the problem was the mother could not speak English and she is now in regular contact with her so she can explain aspects of the family's dealings with consultants and she also helped them publicise the need for a bone marrow donor for their son.

Mrs Mughal said: "Every week I have five to seven families to visit and I have very positive feedback from the support group which meets every three weeks.

"The women who attend were depressed and had no one to talk to. Now they recognise the mutual support they get and are more confident."

Children's nurse specialist for paediatric palliative care Liz Lyles said: "Rahila's post has really opened up the way for us, for paediatricians and for everybody involved in having difficult conversations with South Asian parents.

"She is able to put both points of view and to gain information which can really help both sides to reflect on the best course of action for the children we look after.

"She brings back lots of feedback from the families."

e-mail: claire.lomax@bradford.newsquest.co.uk