Local MP Chairs National Conference on Palliative Care

2.58.02pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 12th May 2005

Annette Brooke Chairing AGM of the Association of Children's Hospices

Recently re-elected MP for Mid Dorset, Annette Brooke, hit the ground running on Monday when she chaired the annual conference of the Association of Children's Hospices organised by Christopher's Children's hospice in Guildford Surrey.

As Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Children, and Patron of Julia's House in Broadstone, Annette visited Christopher's hospice before Christmas last year to acknowledge the work that the nurses and hospice staff would be doing for the children and their families over the holiday period.

Invited to chair the conference, Annette also greeted Chase Hospice's Royal Patron HRH The Countess of Wessex who gave the welcome address to delegates at the Association of Children's Hospices Palliative Care Forum.

Following the conference, Annette said:

"I learned a great deal at this conference, and have taken away many important messages that need to be addressed to improve the funding and resources for children's hospices. I will be raising these issues in Parliament."

CHASE is a children's hospice service supporting life-limited children, young people and their families throughout SW London, Surrey and West Sussex. This much-needed support is provided by a community team, in the families' own homes, in their local communities and at a children's hospice called Christopher's outside Guildford. The service is provided 365 days of the year at no cost to the families themselves. It costs £2.4 million a year to run CHASE each year and, with little or no statutory funding available, the majority of this must be raised through general charitable donation.

A similar situation will apply to Julia's House, when it is fully operational. There is no direct government funding for children's hospices, a situation that Annette, and other MPs with an interest in this area, will continue to fight.