A CHILDREN'S hospice in Balloch welcomed a special guest to hear first-hand about the support they provide to families.
Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for NHS health and social care Neil Gray MSP visited Robin House children’s hospice this week to meet children and families and hear first-hand about the support they receive from Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS).
Mr Gray toured the hospice with senior staff, including the charity's chief executive Rami Okasha, chief operating officer Jane Smith, medical director Dr Annabel Howell and newly-in-post director of nursing and family support Jennifer Rodgers.
Topics discussed included how the organisation’s recently published strategic plan will enable CHAS to reach more families than ever before, and a sustainable funding model for children’s hospices.
During the visit Mr Gray also met one of Robin House’s special therapets and joined in a special crafts session with children, parents and care-givers while hearing about the range of pressures currently affecting families of children with life-shortening conditions.
Following the visit, Mr Gray said: “It has been a deeply moving experience to visit Robin House again and witness the incredible care and support that CHAS provides to children with life-shortening conditions and their families.
"The dedication of the staff here is truly inspiring, and it is clear that they make an immeasurable difference in the lives of those they care for.
“The Scottish Government remains fully committed to supporting children's palliative care and ensuring that every child and family who needs this vital service can access it.
"We are grateful for the work CHAS does, and I look forward to ongoing collaboration to support their mission of reaching every family in need.”
Rami Okasha, chief executive of CHAS, said: “We were delighted to welcome the cabinet secretary to Robin House so he could see first-hand the unwavering care our teams at CHAS provide to the children and families we support.
“We offer medical, nursing, social work and emotional assistance to children with life-shortening conditions and their families right across Scotland but we could not do what we do without the support of the Scottish Government.
“At a time when the numbers of children with palliative care needs to going up, we very much looking forward to working constructively with the Cabinet Secretary and his colleagues on ensuring that every child and family that needs our specialist support is able to access it.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here