Who do we support?
Our Eligibility criteria
- Child/young person is aged 0-25 years
- New referrals for young people aged 18 and over are accepted for end of life care only
- An infant under 18 months old with an uncertain prognosis
- The child/young person usually lives in the Claire House catchment area
- Child/young person has a recognised life-limiting/life threatening condition in one of the categories below
- Before birth from any week of pregnancy with an uncertain prognosis.
Like most Children’s hospices, our eligibility criteria are based on the four broad groups of children who may require palliative care developed by Together for Short Lives. The groups are described below:
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Access to palliative care services may be necessary when treatment fails or during an acute crisis.
Examples: cancer, irreversible organ failures of the heart, liver, kidney.
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There may be long periods of intensive treatment aimed at prolonging life allowing participation in normal activities.
Examples: cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
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Treatment is exclusively palliative and may commonly extend over many years.
Examples: Battens disease, mucopolysaccharidoses.
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Examples: severe cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities and complex health care needs such as following a brain or spinal cord injury, where there is a high risk of an unpredictable life-threatening event or episode.
The suitability of hospice care for children who fall into the fourth group must meet additional criteria and would take into account the medical information provided and an assessment of each child’s needs.
Our catchment area
Claire House’s catchment area for referrals includes the following NHS Places, all of which are within NHS Cheshire & Merseyside ICB: Wirral, Liverpool, Cheshire West, Halton, Knowsley, St Helens, Warrington and Sefton. We also accept referrals from Cheshire East, West Lancs., and North Wales, should we be the most appropriate provider.
