Together for Short Lives is calling on the government to provide urgent investment in Budget 2020 to make sure seriously ill children and their families can access the palliative care they need.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce the annual Budget on March 11. We have submitted a representation to the government calling for Budget 2020 to:
- Invest at least £200 million per year in making sure seriously ill children and families can access the palliative care they need out of hours and at weekends
- Meet the annual £434 million gap in local authority funding for social care for disabled children in England
- Give Health Education England the resources it needs to help end the children’s palliative care workforce crisis
- Invest £8.6 million per year to give children under the age of three who rely on bulky medical equipment access to benefits to meet their mobility needs
- Provide funding to enable more flexibility to be built into Jack’s Law
Our Chief Executive Andy Fletcher Said: “The Chancellor’s Budget is an important opportunity for the government to show support for children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions and their families. These children are some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. It’s important that the government invests in 24/7 care and a sustainable workforce to prevent them reaching crisis point.”
"It’s important that the government invests in 24/7 care and a sustainable workforce to prevent them reaching crisis point."
Andy Fletcher, Chief Executive
We are asking for the Budget to invest in children’s palliative care services and in support for families who have a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition.
Together for Short Lives has found that:
- too few children and families can choose to access palliative care at home out of hours and at weekends
- too few children’s palliative care services are sustainably planned, funded or staffed
- assessments and plans are rarely joined up around children and families
- anomalies in the benefits system mean that some families miss out on crucial financial support
Andy Fletcher said: “Time is short for seriously ill children. Some will not be alive when the next Budget takes place. It is vital that the Chancellor acts urgently to make sure they can access the palliative care they need.”
The Budget will be announced on March 11.
