Quick guide to ... Children's hospices
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Children's hospices provide specialist care and support to children with life-limiting conditions, from the moment of diagnosis onwards. Most hospices are designed for children under 12, although some have facilities specifically developed to support teenagers and young adults.
- There are currently 41 hospices in the UK, who helped over 5,000 children last year, and offered extended support to at least 25,000 family members and friends of the child. They actively encourage children to spend the final stages of their lives at the family home
- They offer a 24-hour service in the form of care, help, support and advice for families and friends
- Hospices provide care for children who fall into four groups: life-threatening conditions where treatment has failed; conditions where premature death is inevitable but treatment can prolong life; progressive conditions without treatment options; irreversible but non-progressive conditions causing severe disability
- It costs an average of £2.5m to run a children's hospice. In England, eight per cent of this is made up of emergency funding given by the Department of Health and runs out in 2011, while four per cent is found through arrangements with local primary care trusts. This leaves £2.2m to be raised through public support.
41 - Number of children's hospices in the UK
£2.5m - Average annual running cost of a children's hospice
12% - Government contribution to children's hospices' funding.
