Nightingale House was delighted to welcome Ken Skates MS, Interim leader of the Welsh Labour Party, for a visit to the hospice to learn more about the specialist palliative care and support provided to local people and their families.
During the visit, Ken was given a tour of the hospice and met with members of the team to hear more about the wide range of services available. From inpatient care and rehabilitation to wellbeing programmes, complementary therapies, bereavement support and family services, the visit highlighted the breadth of care provided by the hospice, helping people with life-limiting illnesses to live as well as possible.
The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss the growing pressures facing the hospice sector. While recent progress has been made towards a more consistent approach to hospice commissioning in Wales, Nightingale House highlighted the continuing need for a sustainable, long-term funding model that gives hospices the certainty they need to plan for the future and continue meeting increasing demand.
Ken Skates has long championed improvements to health and public services across North Wales and was highly supportive of the work undertaken by Nightingale House, recognising the vital role independent hospices play in caring for patients and supporting families across their communities.
Ken Skates MS said:
“It was a pleasure to visit Nightingale House again and talk to the team. They’re doing an incredible job in extremely difficult circumstances, but it’s clear that they need help.
“Nightingale House relies on the generosity of the public for a huge proportion of its funding, but with so many local people struggling – coupled with increasing demand and rising costs – we need to see more support coming from government and a sustainable funding solution.”
Chris Burgoyne, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Nightingale House Hospice, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Ken to Nightingale House and to have the opportunity to showcase the incredible work our staff and volunteers deliver every day.
“It was encouraging to discuss both the impact our services have on local people and the challenges facing the hospice sector.
“We greatly appreciate Ken’s interest and support, and his recognition of the essential role hospices play within our healthcare system.
“We look forward to continuing to work with him and colleagues across the Senedd to help secure a sustainable future for hospice care in Wales.”
Nightingale House Hospice provides specialist palliative care and support, free of charge, to people living with life-limiting illnesses across Wrexham, Flintshire, East Denbighshire, Bala, Barmouth and the border areas. With only around 20% of its funding coming from statutory sources, the hospice continues to rely on the generosity of its local community to ensure patients and their families receive the care and support they need.