Hospices and palliative care for children: converging stories

Abstract

Introduction: Children's hospices offer support to children and their families according to a model that is quite different from adult hospices and has evolved in parallel with specialist paediatric palliative medicine services.

Sources of data: Published research, Together for Short Lives.

Areas of agreement: The services hospices offer are highly valued by families.

Areas of controversy: It is not always clear that hospices can be described as 'specialist', which can make it difficult for hospices to negotiate appropriate commissioning arrangements with the statutory sector.

Growing points: Children's palliative care generally is poorly developed compared with the adult specialty, and local providers should work with hospices to help redress the inequity that children face in accessing specialist palliative care.

Areas timely for developing research: If hospices are to continue to be important providers of palliative care in children they must develop robust and fair relationships with local healthcare providers. That would be facilitated by development of a funding formula for children that properly acknowledges the part hospices already play in palliative care.

Keywords: healthcare economics; hospice; paediatrics; palliative care; symptom control.