Hosting Children's Hospice Week Event

This week Peter Dowd MP hosted a Parliamentary event to showcase support for protecting the Children’s Hospice Grant and its central distribution by NHS England during Children’s Hospice Week.

Peter Dowd MP showed his support for ensuring sustainable funding for the thousands of children in England who urgently need vital hospice care by hosting the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Children Who Need Palliative Care on Tuesday 20 June.

Children’s Hospice Week commenced on Monday 19 June celebrating children’s hospice and palliative care services across the UK, and the seriously ill children and young people they support.

The APPG for Children Who Need Palliative Care highlighted new findings from UK charity for children’s palliative care – Together for Short Lives - on the impact the loss of the grant would have on children’s hospices in England and the implications if this did not continue to be centrally distributed.

At the event Peter met with 19-year-old Liam, lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease. For 11 years, Liam has been cared for by Claire House, a children’s hospice based in Merseyside.

Liam knows first-hand the importance of children’s hospice care and support:

“Claire House means so much to me. It’s been a constant for over half my life and it’s so important that their services, and those at children’s hospices across the country, are protected.

“Things like hydrotherapy, respite and counselling aren’t offered by the NHS, and if they take those away, it will end up costing the NHS more money, take up bed spaces and make waiting lists even longer. They are so vital to so many people like me and without them we would really struggle.”

Peter Dowd MP said:

“Children’s hospices like Claire House provide vital care and support to seriously ill children and their families. They offer lifeline physical, emotional and spiritual support and help children and families to make meaningful choices about care in hospices and at home. In doing so, they take pressure away from overstretched hospital services. We must ensure the Children’s Hospice Grant is protected and remains centrally distributed.”