News of additional government funding has been described as a welcome boost by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) Chief Executive Kevin Clements.
The grant is part of an initial allocation of £100 million for hospices across England, pledged by Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, just before Christmas.
It is specifically for capital projects and EACH’s first allocation is £222,453.
Kevin welcomed the news, but, alongside counterparts from across the country, he also called for a long-term, sustainable statutory funding model, to allow for future planning.
“We welcome today’s news of the allocation of additional government funding for hospices,” he said.
“This is specifically for capital projects, and I’m delighted to say the funds will be invested in our infrastructure. This extra funding also frees up existing funds to support our increasingly high day-to-day running costs.
“This, of course, is for the short to medium term only, and we still call for a long-term, sustainable statutory funding model to allow longer-term planning – this couldn’t be more important for the children and families we care for.
“Last year, we only received 15% of our total income from the government, and with rising costs and growing demand for hospice services, the public’s donations and fundraising are more important to us than ever.”
EACH has three hospices – The Nook, near Norwich, The Treehouse, in Ipswich, and at Milton, just outside Cambridge.
The charity is currently caring for 448 life-threatened children and young people, as well as supporting 388 family members. This includes parents, siblings and grandparents.
This year alone, EACH needs to raise £7.5 million from donations and fundraising and £8.7 million in Retail income from its network of 52 shops.
