The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Children Who Need Palliative Care hosted a reception on Tuesday 19 March ahead of releasing their report Short Lives Can’t Wait: the state of children’s palliative care in 2024. Stephen attended the reception to hear about the current state of children’s palliative care.
Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for patients with serious and life-threatening diseases. The APPG for Children Who Need Palliative Care is a cross-party group in parliament that seeks to inform MPs and Peers about children’s palliative care.
At the event on Tuesday, the charity Together for Short Lives spoke about the current state of the children’s palliative care sector and the barriers preventing children accessing high quality care. The event comes ahead of a report that the APPG will publish on Friday, called Short Lives Can’t Wait: the state of children’s palliative care in 2024.
“I was grateful to hear from Together for Short Lives and the APPG for Children Who Need Palliative Care,” Stephen said after the event. “Too many children are being denied the high quality palliative care they deserve. The Government must act to support them.”
The number of children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions has trebled in the last 20 years and is set to rise further due to advances in medical technology.
Families that care for a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening illness can call the Together for Short Lives helpline on 0808 8088 100 Mon-Fri 9am-4pm for emotional, practical, and financial support or visit www.togetherforshortlives.org.uk/get-support.