'Welsh Hospices are already making cuts to services'

MS for North Wales

Responding to the Statement on the Welsh Government’s ‘Child Poverty Strategy for Wales’, I referred to Loughborough University’s analysis of child poverty across the UK last summer, which found that more than one in five children are living in poverty in every local authority in Wales, and quoted The Bevan Foundation statement that this shows ‘minimal progress’ has been ‘made in reducing child poverty over the past decade’.

I also outlined sector concerns that the Strategy’s lack of targets and actions means that there is no way of holding the Welsh Government to account.

I challenged the Finance Minister over the negative impact the Welsh Government’s Council Tax premium rules is having on legitimate holiday let businesses in North Wales and other local businesses, and over her failure to monitor this.

Speaking in the Debate on ‘Charitable Hospice Funding’, I said “The harsh reality is that Welsh Hospices are already making cuts to services” with pressures “highly likely to result in them having to further reduce the volume of certain services delivered”, adding “Hospices save NHS Wales millions, and can help them save millions more” and that “The Welsh Government would be failing in their duty if they did not work with the Hospice sector to address the immediate funding challenges and develop a long-term sustainable funding solution”.

As Chair of the Senedd Cross Party Groups on Hospice and Palliative Care, and on Funerals and Bereavement, I sponsored and spoke at the Senedd launch of ‘What Matters Most’, a visual storytelling exhibition of experiences of palliative and end of life care in Wales, by Mold-based ‘Same but Different’, in partnership with Hospice UK and Marie Curie.

I Chaired a meeting of the Cross-Party Autism Group, at which parents from Flintshire and elsewhere shared their experiences and called for action, and attended meetings of the Cross-Party Groups on Co-operatives & Mutuals, and on Haemophilia and Infected Blood.

Other Senedd engagements included Holocaust Memorial Event, Music Venue Trust, 'Employability Services in Wales for Jobseekers', launch of the 'Rebuilding Minds after Stroke’ Report, and ‘Decarbonising Industry in Wales’ with Wales and West Utilities.

I also met with ‘Propertymark’, to discuss making Wales' Private Rented Sector properties fuel efficient; with a group from Llandrillo College, Rhyl Campus, during their education session about the Senedd in the Senedd building; with the Director of Wildlife Trusts Wales; and with UK Highways A55 Ltd.; and visited the Parc Adfer Energy from Waste facility at Deeside Industrial Park.

For my help, email Mark.Isherwood@senedd.wales or call 0300 200 7219.