A sustainable sector
Families not only need support today, they need it tomorrow and every day. We want to strengthen the sustainability of children’s palliative care so that families can rely on support.
Right now, the costs of running services are rising and funding is reliant on public donations. Government funding varies across the UK – some hospices receive over half of their budgets from the state, while one in five hospices receive less than 5% of theirs.
Unpredictable funding means that services struggle to plan effectively or meet needs. Last year, half of children’s hospices saw their funding from the NHS fall, and this can lead to cuts in services –increasing the pressure on families and children.
“The whole system needs looking at. There are so many others that are in our boat too. It shouldn’t be that way, you should be able to concentrate on being a family."
Chevonne, Mum of Mikey who has a life-limiting condition
How we make a difference
Over the next 10 years we want to improve the sustainability of children’s palliative care services by:
- Campaigning for more statutory funding for children’s palliative care.
- Providing data/information to local services and commissioners to improve local funding.
- Facilitating greater collaboration and partnerships between providers/networks.
- Identifying collaborative approaches to innovate and better use resources.
- Raising money and profile to support services
Our 10 year goals for a sustainable sector
Over the next 10 years we have set the following goals to increase the sustainability of children’s palliative care services:
- There is a national strategy in place in all four UK nations, with clear definition of what the state is responsible for funding.
- The £300 million gap in funding in England has been closed.
- Clear categories and definitions of children’s palliative care.
- Networked approaches in place for commissioning.
- Growth in funding to support children’s palliative care services in the form of grants and partnerships.