Monday 1 December 2008

Delivering Quality Palliative and End of Life Care Services for Children and Young People

I enclose an invitation to our forthcoming Westminster Briefing entitled "Delivering Quality Palliative and End of Life Care Services for Children and Young People" which will be hosted by The House Magazine on Wednesday, 25th February 2009 to be held in Westminster.
When people think of palliative and end of life care the common assumption is made that services are designed and oriented towards adults. However, according to The Association for Children with Life-Threatening or Terminal Conditions and their Families (ACT) at least 15,000 children require palliative care in the UK. Whilst it is acknowledged that some parallels can be drawn between the principles applying to end of life care services for adults and those for children and young people, there are also significant and unique differences. The children's palliative care strategy, Better Care: Better Lives , was launched to address these distinctive distinctions and improve outcomes and experiences for all children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. While the death of any single person can be traumatic, a child's death remains emotionally difficult, unnatural and unexpected for families and healthcare providers alike.
Delegates at this Westminster Briefing will have the opportunity to consider the progress of the children's palliative and end of life care strategy and discuss what more needs to be done to ensure its aims are achieved. Participants will also examine case studies and examples of best practice concerning the delivery of children's palliative care and discuss how these successful models can be disseminated more widely.
Please click here for further details.


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