Children’s Hospices: Funding

Kim Johnson Excerpts

Wednesday 30th October 2024 Westminster Hall

[Ian Byrne]

I thank the hon. Member for that wonderful intervention; I wholeheartedly agree about what Claire House does and with his asks.

Three weeks ago, it was announced that spiralling costs meant that there was not enough money to build a planned new home for Zoe’s Place and that the baby hospice would close for good at the end of the year. It was therefore with real trepidation that we met the trustees on the Thursday after the announcement. We entered Zoe’s Place with the staff—many had been there for decades—feeling devastated after being issued with the consultation period ahead of the planned closure. At the meeting, we were desperate to find a future for Zoe’s Place. The trustees and the staff present outlined what we needed to do: raise £5 million in 30 days and then Zoe’s Place could have a future.

[Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside) (Lab)]

I thank my good friend for giving way and I congratulate him on securing this important debate. Will he join me in congratulating the wonderful community of Liverpool on its amazing work to secure nearly £5 million for Zoe’s Place? However, does he agree that instead of relying on charitable trusts to support these important hospices, we need to think about how we put them on a statutory footing to provide better end of life care for everybody?

[Ian Byrne]

I thank my hon. Friend for her excellent intervention; I wholeheartedly agree.

We had to raise £5 million in 30 days to give Zoe’s Place a future, so I asked the trustees to let us give it a shot, harnessing the spirit of the city, which has been galvanised since people heard the news, and the love for this wonderful institution. We put the call out in Liverpool, and I have never seen a response like it in my life. It has been my great city at its very best, for the world to see. We have had kids going door-knocking with fundraising buckets, raising money because one of their friends is being supported by the hospice; parents who turned to Zoe’s Place in times of need organising fundraising walks and sponsored motorbike rides; and support from MPs, such as my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) promising to carry on playing his unique take on “You’ll Never Walk Alone” on his trombone if we did not raise the funds—the city has spoken, John, and I’m saying no more. Cafés have pledged their takings to the campaign, running raffles to raise money, and local businesses have got involved, donating tens of thousands of pounds, and their time and expertise, which will never be forgotten.