A team has been set up in Bradford to ensure people who are seriously ill with cancer get the best care possible.

The GP Facilitation Team, is funded by Macmillan Cancer Relief, and its three members will share their expertise with other health care professionals to raise standards.

The group is believed to be the only one of its kind and consists of a doctor, a Macmillan nurse and a bilingual health worker.

They will pool their skills to strengthen links and co-ordinate care for patients who are in the final stages of their life in the three year project.

It's main objective is to visit doctors around Bradford to make sure they have up to date information about cancer and the support available for patients.

Dr Ian Fenwick, a team member who has a practice in West Bowling and organises cancer services for Bradford City Primary Care Trust, said they had been in touch with 42 practices so far.

"We want to help the GPs to know what is available in the way of services and how they can improve their skills," he said.

"GPs have a large number of patients but they might only have two or three cancer patients a year who need palliative care and so we want to support them.

"It is not realistic for them to be experienced in dealing with these problems because of the numbers of patients they are seeing but we can help educate and support them in clinical decisions."

Dr Fenwick is working alongside Macmillan palliative care development nurse Liz Penny who has worked with cancer patients for 15 years.

Through her experiences she can not only offer clinical advice to doctors and other nurses but also practical help.

And the team's work in the multi-cultural Bradford community will also be boosted by bilingual health worker Rupinder Kaur.

Mrs Kaur, who used to work at the family plumbing business Basi Gas on Leeds Road, speaks Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi and said cancer is still a taboo subject for some Asian people.

"I find that some families appreciate me being there and they can open up more to somebody from a similar background," she said.