Issue - meetings

To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.

Ms Meg Davies, Keech Hospice, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding their grant application.

Audio recording – 52 minutes 5 seconds

Ms Meg Davies, Keech Hospice, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding their application for grant funding as follows:

·               Keech Hospice was a Children’s Hospice for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes;

·               Keech Hospice was one of the few hospices that provided care for adults and children with terminal illnesses;

·               The Hospice had cared for 374 children last year of which 50 percent were from Hertfordshire and 27 were from Hitchin;

·               The Hospice supported people during their time of crisis offering day support and in house care;;

·               Asked for funding to expand the 24hr telephone advice line so that patients and families were able to speak to a specialist nurse  which was important outside office hours;

·               Advice line was able to offer medical advice, emotional support and helped to reduce hospital admissions;

·               The advice line was also available to offer advice to other health care professionals

·               They were currently only reaching 1 in 3 children that require hospice care in Hertfordshire;

·               Keech Hospice was a charity that received just 30 percent of its funding from statutory sources;

·               Keech Hospice was reliant on donations as £6 million was needed to be raised every year.

The following Members asked questions and took part in the debate:

·                Councillor Richard Thake;

·                Councillor Kay Tart;

·                Councillor Judi Billing.

In response to questions raised, Ms Meg Davies advised that:

·                They needed to raise more awareness in order reach children not yet receiving care;

·                They had applied for funding from County Councillors.

The Chairman thanked Ms Davies for her presentation.