Support For Children With Complex Physical Healthcare Announced

Children and young people with complex physical healthcare needs are to be supported to live within their family setting due to funding announced by the Health Minister.

The £9 million investment, over the next three years, will improve the current services by providing care packages appropriate to the needs of the individual child and family, including nursing support, equipment, training and respite care.

Children with complex physical healthcare needs include those with cerebral palsy, brain injury and intractable epilepsy, where special provision has to made to meet the needs of both the child and their carers.

Making the announcement the Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey (pictured) said: "Children and young people with complex healthcare needs are a small but growing population in Northern Ireland.

"They place many demands on their families, including the need to make many trips to hospital for vital care. Knowing that these children do better in their own environment, it is recognised that where possible, they should be cared for in their own homes.

"This investment will therefore provide a flexible, community children’s nursing service, where individual care packages will be developed to meet the specific needs of each child and their family," he said.

The £9million investment follows a review by the Chief Nursing Officer, Martin Bradley, into the nursing services available for children and young people with complex needs. This investment is in addition to £200,000 allocated to the Children's Hospice annually for outreach services for those with complex physical healthcare needs.

The Minister also recently announced specific funding of £220,000 annually to improve hospital services for children with intractable epilepsy.

(BMcC/JM)