Closing Gaps in Children’s Community Palliative Care in Greater Manchester

UK based charity, Kentown Support has launched its ground-breaking community-based Palliative and End-of-Life-Care programme across Greater Manchester for babies, children and young people living with life-limiting conditions, ending the postcode lottery.

This programme addresses significant gaps in children’s palliative care provision including limited community-based end-of-life support for children and their families.

For many babies and children, dying at home has not been an option with only four out of ten localities commissioning a community-based palliative care nurse.

By working with existing local services and adding provision where there is a gap, the Kentown Children’s Community Palliative Care programme brings together Nursing Support, (Greater Manchester ICB), Coordination, (Together for Short Lives), Therapeutic and Counselling and Bereavement Support, (Gaddum), and dedicated training and supervision for Kentown Support Nurses, (Alder Hey Children’s Hospital).

With the number of children with life-limiting conditions continuing to rise and with a higher prevalence in children from minority ethnic populations and areas of high deprivation, it is only with system change and different ways of working that levelling up of children’s community palliative care provision across Greater Manchester and indeed all areas of the UK, is achievable.

The Government’s Modern Service Framework for Palliative Care and End-of-Life-Care, sets out an ambitious agenda: equitable access to high quality support and a more responsive needs-based approach.

The Kentown programme in Greater Manchester provides the opportunity to reach into communities where families have the highest need, such as those from minority ethnic backgrounds.

A single point of access is being launched, enabling professionals and families to make a referral quickly and easily.

Kentown Support has also partnered with the Cicely Saunders Institute to establish a Centre of Excellence in Children’s Palliative Care at King’s College London, led by Professor Lorna Fraser, ensuring its programmes, are driven and supported by data and evidence.

Alongside providing education and training for health and social care professionals, the centre will inform policy and drive innovations in care delivery to enable all children and young people to have access to the care they require, including palliative care, when and where they need it.

Dr Helena Dunbar, CEO of Kentown Support said: “Our second programme across Manchester means that more families with children with life-limiting conditions can access the support they need in their community. I am excited to see how this Kentown Support team of therapists, service coordinators, children’s community nurse specialists work together with colleagues from across the acute, community and voluntary sector to achieve great things for children and their families.”

Referrals can be made via the Kentown Support website, Kentown Support