DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release (2007/0122) issued by The Government News Network on 17
May 2007
Health Minister
Ivan Lewis promised a new national strategy for children's
palliative care and accepted key recommendations of the
independent review of services published today.
The independent review of children's and young people's
palliative care services by Professor Sir Alan Craft, Head of
Child Health at Newcastle University and Sue Killen, a senior
civil servant, examined access to services and their long term
sustainability. The review was set up in June 2006 after the
Government announced an additional £27 million of support for
children's hospices over three years.
Professor Sir Alan Craft and Sue Killen said:
"Over the last few months, we have examined all aspects
around the delivery of children's palliative care. Whilst we
have found many cases of excellent care and practice, we have also
discovered areas where services were inadequate and where there is
far too wide a variation in standards and expectations. Overall
the review found a lack of sustainable funding and strategic
planning and unacceptable variations in the provision of services
and levels of spending."
Welcoming the report, Health Minister, Ivan Lewis said that the
Government would give thorough consideration to the individual
recommendations and their implications for children and young
people and would publish a detailed response in the Summer that
takes into account any recommendations from the HMT/DfES review of
disabled children to be published in the near future. Ivan Lewis said:
"We need to deliver a system that is fit for the future and
provides the right care in the right place at the right time for
our sick and life-limited children. I am setting up a group of key
stakeholders to deliver on the recommendations that can be taken
forward immediately, including the development of a national
strategy for children's palliative care by the end of 2007.
"I very much hope those invited will accept the offer to
work with the Government to help achieve the step-change we all desire."
Recommendations from the review include:
- a call for a national strategy dealing with children's and
young people's palliative care, including development of a
national indicators and standards.
- more funding to be provided for services as a whole.
- incentives to be given to developing pooled budgets covering
health, social care and education in order to ensure that money is
spent as effectively as possible
- more investment in community services and and improved end of
life care with more children supported to die at home.
There are over 20,000 children and young people in England with
conditions likely to require palliative care and around 4,000
deaths a year. About 1800 a year potentially require end-of-life
care at home or in a hospice. Many primary care trusts will be
dealing with small numbers, ranging from 39 to 501 people aged
under 19 who require palliative care.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The review and findings apply to England only.
[ENDS]