PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - KEECH HOSPICE
To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.
Decision:
Ms Meg Davies, Keech Hospice, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding their grant application.
Minutes:
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.