Wiltshire Children's Hospice to meet Government amid financial crisis
Julia's House are facing a loss of ÂŁ1.5m this year - and say Government action is needed
A children's hospice in Wiltshire will meet with Government officials today to argue for improved support for palliative care services.
Julia's House Children's Hospice say children with medical conditions are living longer, thanks to improvements in medical science, and while that's hailed as a positive, it means children require care for months or years.
CEO Martin Edwards will be joined by three parents of children Julia's House are supporting as they seek to shine a light on the situation of Children's Hospice's across the country, as well as their own plight.
They recently revealed they're facing a ÂŁ1.5m loss this year - a situation replicated at hospice's across the country.
Mr Edwards told Greatest Hits Radio that Government funding doesn't reflect the advances made in medicine, which needs to be rectified.
"Children are living longer with their medical conditions because of advances in medical science," he said, adding: "More of them might have passed away in the first few hours or days of life. But they're living for months or years now.
"It's good thing, but it means that they require care for months or years, and this is where children's Hospice care comes in."
Care should be funded from cradle to grave
Mr Edwards also told us that is 'unfair' that children with medical conditions don't benefit from fully funded care in the same way as other children would.
"There's general recognition that when a child is born, the care they receive in hospital or at home is fully funded when they take their first breath.
"So why isn't it funded when they take their last breath? For those children that will not live long lives, it doesn't make any sense."
He warned that if hospices were to vanish, it would ramp up the pressure on an NHS that's already close to the limit.
Mr Edwards said 'a big solution' is needed in England to resolve the crisis hospices are facing.
"I think there's a general recognition that Hospice care in general should be better funded. It shouldn't be left entirely or almost entirely to the goodwill of people jumping out of aeroplanes or giving second hand clothes to our shops or remembering us in their wills," he told us.
He cited the systems in Scotland and Wales, saying the English system 'doesn't work'.
Half of care costs for Children's Hospices in Scotland are subsidised by the Scottish Government, whilst their Welsh counterparts have injected ÂŁ4m to help hospice's through the current turmoil.
"But in England you've got a complete mess of lots of devolved negotiations happening at county level with the post code lottery of funding," Mr Edwards said.
He's calling for 'joined up thinking' saying: "It's time for a proper solution."
Government statement on Hospice funding
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We want everyone to have access to the high-quality, personalised palliative care that can make all the difference at such a difficult time.
"That's why we require all local NHS integrated care boards to commission end-of-life care services to meet their patients' needs.
"While the majority of palliative and end-of-life care is provided via GPs, hospitals and community health services, we recognise the incredibly valuable role the charity sector plays in providing hospice care and supporting loved ones.
"Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations with their own terms and conditions of employment.
"The Government has provided Ă‚ÂŁ60 million in additional funding, including to some hospices, to deliver one-off payments to over 27,000 eligible staff employed by non-NHS organisations."