Dr (Sleaford and North Hykeham)
(Con): Losing a child is every parent’s worst
nightmare, but every day parents up and down the country are caring
for children with life-limiting illnesses. For those families the
children’s hospice and palliative care services are a necessary
lifeline, but some of our hospice services are struggling for cash,
and Acorns, our largest service, has had to announce the closure of
one of its hospices.
Prime Minister, you came to power saying that you would help
people who were just about managing, but many of those families
are barely coping at all. Please, as your legacy, will you give
the £40 million that is needed to provide really good palliative
care for all the children in the country who need it?
The Prime Minister: I recognise the
important role played by hospices generally, but by children’s
hospices in particular. I have been pleased to be involved in the
establishment of the Alexander Devine hospice in my constituency,
which was set up after a family tragically lost their son
Alexander.
It is important for us to ensure that people have the support
that they need as they see a child approaching the end of their
life. We have made children’s palliative and end-of-life care a
priority in the NHS long-term plan, and over the next five years
the NHS will be match-funding clinical commissioning groups that
commit themselves to increasing investment in local children’s
palliative and end-of-life care services by up to £7 million.
That will increase the support to a total of £25 million a year
by 2023-24. Those children and their families deserve the very
best care, and I commend all who are working in the hospice
movement, because they provide wonderful end-of-life care for
children and adults
