Date published: 26 November 2015 by Anna Jackson

Rainbow Trust is disappointed at the opportunities missed in the Spending Review to support measures which would benefit families with a terminally ill child. There was no mention of fully funding care at the end of life, and the continued lack of investment in social care will only undermine efforts to build a more efficient NHS.

Anne Harris, Director of Care, said:

‘We welcome increased health spending but without sustainable investment in social care there will be increased costs on the NHS as families struggle to access the support they need at an extraordinarily difficult time. At the same time, the government’s aim of achieving £12 billion in welfare savings by 2020 remains - despite the positive decision to drop the proposed changes to tax credits.

We remain deeply concerned that the overall picture for terminally ill children and their families remains challenging. Families are feeling the impact of budget cuts in their daily lives as local authorities struggle to provide the support, equipment and specialised help which terminally ill children, their siblings and parents need. We call on the government to recognise the burden that this situation places on carers within the family who are left struggling to meet the needs of their child and who are often unable to combine their caring role and paid employment. We will continue to monitor how the Government’s manifesto commitment to improve support for carers will be delivered.’