Charity pleads for vital hospice service funding
Scottish Parliament election candidates in Lanarkshire are being asked to back a call for sustainable funding for vital hospice services for children.
Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) is calling on politicians from all parties to stand alongside the 16,700 families, many of whom live in North Lanarkshire, who face the terrifying heartbreak that their child may die young.
Many of the children are stable, but three die each week of a life-shortening condition, and numbers are going up.
The charity, which is the single national provider of children’s hospice services in Scotland, has launched its manifesto ahead of the Scottish Parliament election.
It comes at a time when the numbers of children with lifeshortening conditions is higher than ever and many families are feeling particularly isolated and vulnerable due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
CHAS is asking candidates from all parties to back it as it calls for continued sustainable funding for children’s hospice care over the next five years, a new national plan for palliative care in Scotland that addresses the needs of children, more specialist training for health and social care staff, to meet increasingly complex needs, better financial support for struggling families – including after a child dies, and bespoke support for children with complex needs living into adulthood.
Rami Okasha, CEO of CHAS, said: “Children with lifeshortening conditions might live shorter lives, but CHAS makes sure their time is filled with love, compassion and care.
“The numbers of children with life-shortening conditions are going up. The need for care is greater than ever.
“We are asking politicians from all parties to look at a range of actions that will truly make a difference to these families.
“Politicians have a key role in helping keep the joy alive even in the face of death.”