North Wales hospices to get a fairer funding deal

Oct 16 2008 by Judith Phillips, North Wales Weekly News

T Gobaith children’s Hospice in T’n y Groes and St David’s Hospice in Llandudno have been given a share of £2m additional funding by the Welsh Assembly. JUDITH PHILLIPS and SAMANTHA CASTLE report.

EARLIER this year she dashed hopes of substantial extra funding for St David’s Hospice.

But this week Assembly health minister Edwina Hart has given the Llandudno facility the cash boost it hoped for.

In January the minister admitted a mistake had been made when St David’s was given only £29,250 of a £2m funding pot for hospices in Wales and there was anger when it was revealed one South Wales hospice was receiving more than all the adult hospices in North Wales put together.

As a result of a public outcry Mrs Hart hinted she would act to redress the balance.

Now it seems the minister has had a rethink and on Monday she announced St David’s would get a further £160,000 which will fund a new part-time palliative care consultant as well as three clinical nurse specialists.

Conwy AM Gareth Jones said he had lobbied her for the extra funding and a review report had backed him up.

“Earlier this year I invited the minister to see for herself the marvellous work that goes on in St David’s so I am pleased that she has accepted the report’s recommendations,” he said.

“Clearly the allocation of nearly 10% of the total funding to St David’s is an indication of the way future funds may be allocated.”

St David’s only receives 10% of its annual £1.3m budget from Conwy Local Health Board and is largely dependent on fundraising and donations to meet the shortfall

The Assembly cash means some of the financial pressure will be relieved, says chief executive Alun Davies.

Meanwhile, T Gobaith is to get an additional £175,000 funding which will pay for staff education and furthering links to paediatric services in North Wales.

Hospice chief executive David Featherstone said he cautiously welcomes the funding news.

“The money is not purely for T Gobaith, it is also for Hope House which gives 37% of its care to children living in Wales.

“The money is to underpin the expert nursing care we already give to terminally ill children, not to provide new services. For many years the health boards in North Wales have only provided funding for about 5% of the cost of providing palliative care services to children by the voluntary sector.

“The money announced this week is designed to provide a more equitable distribution system for palliative care funds than currently exists.

“We welcome this recognition of the service we provide to children and families living in Wales and look forward to discussing the detailed proposals made by Baroness Finlay as to the pattern of future service provision in North and Mid Wales.”