South Yorkshire family admit they'd be 'lost' without a nearby children's hospice
It's as the £25 million Children's Hospice government grant could be discontinued after 2024
Families of children with life-limiting illnesses across South Yorkshire tell us they would be 'lost'- without a nearby hospice for kids.
It's as the national £25 million children's hospice grant could be getting scrapped in 2024 - which could reduce the quality of some essential services - such as pain relief, respite care, and end-of-life support.
Barnsley woman Zoe Darcy cares for her 6-year-old grandson Daniel - who's been receiving palliative care since 2021.
She takes him to the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in Sheffield regularly:
"We would have nothing if we didn't have the hospice.
"Having Bluebell Wood close by is everything because there isn't anything that compares in Barnsley.
"When we hit a crisis as a family, that's our go to place.
"Just getting in the car and knowing that we're going to arrive at the other side where people understand what we've been going through is absolutely vital.
"The staff are second to none, and I genuinely don't know where we'd be without them."
Daniel has an extremely rare, life-shortening condition called Mitochondrial Disease, which affects every aspect of his life.
He’s unable to sit, walk or talk and he eats his meals through a tube.
In total, it costs over £5 million for Bluebell Wood to keep their doors open for families across South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire, North Nottinghamshire and parts of North Lincolnshire.
They receive around 22% of their funding from government sources.