NHS: Children's Palliative Care Services

The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Ivan Lewis) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

On 5 June I was pleased to announce new funding of £27 million spread over three years for children's hospice services. Applications for the Children's Hospice and Children's Hospice at Home Grant have now been considered by a group which included key stakeholders and I am pleased to announce that 35 hospice services successfully applied for grants and will benefit from this funding. The payments will be made as soon as possible.

At the same time as announcing this grant I announced a review of children's hospice services and subsequently announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 18 September that the review had been extended to consider the long term sustainability of children's palliative care services and funding more generally. I am pleased to announce that Professor Sir Alan Craft and Ms Sue Killen have agreed to lead this important review. The consultation phase of this review commenced in October and contributions are being sought. Contact can be made with the review team at childpalliativecare@dh.gsi.gov.uk. I expect the review to be completed by spring 2007.