‘Liverpool's children and families deserve their own hospice’

Liverpool is today being urged to back an urgent £10 million appeal to create a full children's hospice, bringing vital care closer to home.

While Claire House Children’s Hospice already supports hundreds of families across the region, there is currently no children's hospice in Liverpool providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care.

As a result, families must travel across the Mersey to the charity's Wirral hospice at the most difficult time imaginable. Even worse, children who are too ill to make the journey miss out on this essential support altogether.

Claire House has planning permission to transform its West Derby site into a full 24/7 children's hospice. The challenge now is raising enough money to turn the plans into reality.  

Now, the charity is asking Liverpool to rally together and help raise the £10 million needed to ‘Make the Hospice Happen’.

David Pastor, CEO of Claire House, said no family should miss out on hospice care because of where they live. Children and young adults in Liverpool deserve their own hospice. This cannot wait.

He said: "Why should children in Liverpool miss out simply because of where they live? They shouldn't. This is not right. 

"In Merseyside and Cheshire, a child dies every two days. Sadly, there is currently no children's hospice providing 24/7 end-of-life care in Liverpool, meaning too many families face difficult journeys when they need support most. Some families are missing out altogether because it’s impossible for them to travel.

"This is about giving Liverpool's children, young adults and families the same access to hospice care, the same choice and the same support that families on the Wirral already have.

"We have planning permission. We know the need is there. Now we need Liverpool to make the hospice happen."

The transformed site would provide two dedicated end-of-life care bedrooms and six respite bedrooms, giving children and young adults access to expert round-the-clock care. Two Butterfly Suites would give families a peaceful and private place to spend precious time together after a child has died.

Mum Kate Jones said: “We always wanted our son Josh to pass at Claire House, but he was too ill to be taken to the Wirral. It was just too far.

“If the West Derby site was up and running, we absolutely would have preferred him to be transferred so he could pass there instead of in the hospital. We wouldn’t have chosen a hospital for him.”

The development could also allow Claire House to support twice as many families, increasing from around 500 to 1,000.

Claire House plans to temporarily relocate its day services in Liverpool while demolition work begins on the site early next year. But every day without a children's hospice in the city is another day that children and families miss out on vital care and support closer to home.

Liverpool has always been a city that comes together when people need help most. Claire House is calling on people, businesses and communities across the city to stand behind its appeal.