Liberal Democrat candidate for Hertsmere Emma Matanle backs calls by Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice (Barnet) for government action in children’s palliative care

June 16 Liberal Democrat candidate for Hertsmere Emma Matanle backs calls by Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice (Barnet) for government action in children’s palliative care

Liberal Democrat candidate for Hertsmere Emma Matanle backed Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice (Barnet) calls for more sustained support in many areas of children’s palliative care during a visit to the Ark on 4 June 2024.

Emma said of her recent visit: “It was a real privilege to visit Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice and see the amazing work they do in their catchment area which includes Hertsmere. Welfare reform is key to our election proposal, so it was very informative to hear about some of the specific challenges facing Noah’s Ark for Children. If elected, I will write to my local ICB to find out what steps are being taken to improve palliative care for children.
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice echoes Together for Short Lives’ recent report ‘Short Lives Can’t Wait’ by calling on the new government to protect the £25m annual grant for Children’s Hospice after 2024/25 (to include an increase with at least the rate of inflation each year). We would also ask them to commit to investing an extra £295m a year to cover the current funding gap.

As there are serious recruitment challenges in our sector, we are calling on the new government to expand the children’s palliative care workforce and secure the next generation of pediatric palliative care nurses by providing early career nurse training and pathways to this rewarding. specialization in other fields of nursing. More information about Noah’s Ark Nurse Recruitment Campaign 2022 can be found HERE.

In July 2022, NHSE (NHS England) was restructured into Integrated Care Systems (ICS) and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). Each ICB is responsible for the allocation of commission income (for services that the NHSE would normally fund, such as overnight stays and end of life care) and the distribution of the Children’s Hospice Grant. We call on NHSE to ensure that ICBs are supported and given guidance to encourage effective working relationships between Children’s Hospices and their local ICBs.

Without these guarantees we will not be able to develop our services and be there for the 2,500 children in our catchment area who could benefit from our care*. Only 7% of the income of the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice comes from statutory funding, the rest comes from voluntary donations. We need a commitment from the new government on a permanent, ring-fenced grant for the Children’s Hospice. The provision of palliative care for children is not something that should be left to chance or charity in an ethical society. We hope the new Government will see how vital our work is and commit to helping us be there for more babies, children and young people – and their families.

Sophie Andrews OBE, CEO of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice said: “The party in power, whoever it is, needs to understand and value the work we do in children’s palliative care. We need the government to commit to a sustainable funding model that ensures we can continue to provide first class care to the children and families we support.

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