Income Tax (Charge)
Bradley Thomas Excerpts(2 weeks, 2 days ago)
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Jess Brown-Fuller (Chichester) (LD)
I start by recognising that this Government face an enormous challenge in clearing up the mess of a decade of Conservative mismanagement in this country, and that failure is nowhere more apparent than in our NHS and care sector. Every day, thousands of patients across the country face agonisingly long waits, often in severe pain, just to see a GP or get an appointment with a dentist.
Yesterday, I met a constituent whose 45-year-old husband—a well-loved, energetic and creative man—never regained consciousness after being left in the A&E waiting room of my local hospital for six hours after suffering a brain haemorrhage. James Palmer-Bullock leaves behind three wonderful children, a loving wife and a devastated community. His wife’s request to me was to ensure that no family ever suffers the same neglect again. I hope the Secretary of State will meet me to discuss the experience that my constituent faced and what can be done to prevent it in future.
New funding for day-to-day spend in the NHS is welcomed across this House, and it is desperately needed if we are ever to address the crisis in the NHS. However, there is no point in pouring money into a leaky bucket if that money does not get where it needs to go.
Bradley Thomas (Bromsgrove) (Con)
It is not just public services that we need to focus on: the third sector provides vital services that many of our constituents rely on, particularly children’s hospices. I would like to highlight to the House the Acorns children’s hospice in my constituency, which provides vital support to many local families in a really acute moment of need. In 2019, NHS England decided to increase the children’s hospice grant—
Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)
Order. That intervention was far too long.
Children’s Hospices: Funding
Bradley Thomas Excerpts(3 weeks, 1 day ago)
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Bradley Thomas (Bromsgrove) (Con)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank the hon. Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne) for securing the debate and telling his moving story. I know that all hon. Members will be united in our support for hospices across the country. I rise in particular to speak in support of Acorns, a children’s hospice that serves the wider Worcestershire, as well as the wider west midlands region and is headquartered in my constituency.
Established in 1988, Acorns Children’s Hospice has delivered the essential care that hundreds of local children have needed for the past 36 years. Without it, many families would have been left with nowhere else to turn. When the unimaginable happens and a child receives a devastating diagnosis, Acorns children’s hospice has always been there to help. It provides lifelong supportive care for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions across the west midlands and Gloucester from three hospices—in Birmingham, Worcester and Walsall—as well as in the community and in family homes. It helps children and families to fill the time they have together with love, fun and laughter and to create lasting memories, and provides tailored care to meet each child’s individual medical, emotional, cultural, religious and spiritual needs. I put on record my thanks to all the staff and volunteers at Acorns for their compassionate dedication to the care they provide.
More families than ever need our vital children’s hospice care, and that number is expected to continue to grow. However, for the first time in its history, Acorns is facing the prospect of turning away a child in need. The children’s hospice grant has existed since 2007 and aims to provide some of the funding required for children’s hospices across England. In 2019, NHS England increased the children’s hospice grant to £25 million per year for 2023-24 and ringfenced that money specifically for children’s hospices. However, that funding is no longer certain under the current Government. I therefore join Acorns Children’s Hospice in urging the Minister to protect and maintain the children’s hospice grant as a directly distributed ringfenced grant, so that Acorns and every children’s hospice in England can continue to provide the care that children and families desperately need.
To give Acorns and local families the assurances they need, the Government must also guarantee the children’s hospice grant for at least five years and increase it by at least the rate of inflation each year. Guaranteeing this core funding will allow Acorns and hospices across the country to continue to be there for every child and family who need their vital support.