Date published: 17 July 2015 by Anna Jackson

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity welcomes the ambition for the NHS to improve the choice of services for the families that we work with.

Anne Harris, Director of Care, said ‘In our role, as the biggest organisation providing children’s social palliative care in England, we know that not all children and their families are getting these choices as a matter of course . We believe that families need more choice over how and where they receive support when their child faces life threatening or terminal illness. In particular we want to see more recognition for the role of social palliative care, which combines both emotional and practical support tailored to families’ needs. This should be available and delivered wherever the family may need it, whether that be in hospital, in the community or at home. We would like to see more partnership working between the NHS and Government and third sector organisations like ours who are already working with families to ensure they are aware of their choices and are empowered to make decisions that suit their individual needs.’