For children's palliative care, the problem is particularly acute. Atleast 20,000 children in the UK - 10 per primary care trust (PCT) - havea disability or condition that means they will die in childhood or earlyadulthood. Some will die when very young; others will deteriorate over anumber of years. Not surprisingly, families are under huge strain, andhave a range of needs from specialist short breaks, counselling, familysupport services to pain management and symptom control.
And yet children's palliative care services are under threat. Our recentsurvey reveals most providers are facing cuts, redundancies and waitinglists. They're negotiating desperately with PCTs and strategic healthauthorities to save services, while Rainbow Trust Children's Charity hasalready had to axe its North of England team.
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