Following the  announcement from the Prime Minister on the publication of the 10 Year Health Plan for England, Acorns Children’s Hospice has welcomed the Government’s commitment to ensuring ‘every child has the best start in life’ – and is urging Ministers to ensure this includes children with complex care needs.

The charity, which provides specialist palliative care for children with life limiting and life threatening conditions, this week unveiled a striking portrait of Sir Keir Starmer, created using the handprints of children Acorns supports.

Behind the artwork is a powerful message calling on the Government to guarantee sustainable funding for England’s children’s hospices – vital funding that enables the charity to continue providing the care that enables children with complex needs to live their lives well.

Acorns has also welcomed the Government’s plan to achieve its ambitions through three radical shifts, including a greater focus on care in the community and closer collaboration with other healthcare providers.

Trevor Johnson, Chief Executive at Acorns Children’s Hospice, said: “We welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement of the 10 Year Health Plan for England and the Government’s commitment in making sure that every child has the best start in life. We hope this includes ensuring children with complex care needs have access to the best palliative care that only hospices like Acorns provide.

“We welcome the confirmation that the Government will ‘break the old, short-term cycle of financial planning by asking all organisations to prepare robust five-year plans’ – which is exactly what we have been calling for in order to provide stability across the children’s hospice sector, and give long-term reassurance to families facing the darkest times in their lives.

“We are also encouraged by the Government’s ambition to shift more care into the community and work more closely with other healthcare providers. As specialists in children’s palliative care in the heart of our communities, Acorns is ready to play a key role in delivering this vision.

“But in order to plan our services effectively and develop longer-term strategies to continue our high-specialist care, we need the Government to commit to sustainable funding for England’s children’s hospices.

“Acorns continues to urge the Prime Minister to protect the Children’s Hospice Grant or provide an alternative equivalent. Without it, we fear that in the future we may be forced to make heartbreaking decisions that could mean turning a child and their family away due to a lack of fundingThis week, we took our message straight to those in power when we unveiled our emotional portrait of Sir Keir Starmer outside the Houses of Parliament in London, made entirely from the handprints of the children we care for at Acorns. Every handprint tells a story, and every handprint is a direct plea to him to secure the future of children’s hospice “We hope that the Prime Minister saw this powerful portrait and our message that the future of children’s hospice care is in his hands.”

Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care for babies, children and young people with life limiting and life threatening conditions, and support for their families.

In the past year, the charity has cared for more than 780 children across the West Midlands, and supported over 1,000 families, including those who are bereaved. Children visit Acorns for rehabilitative respite, symptom management, emergency and end-of-life care.

This care and support is provided from Acorns three hospices, based in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester, and in the community.

Acorns needs around £35,000 each day to provide its children’s hospice care, with two thirds of that amount coming from generous donations and fundraising by the local community.

Members of the public can support Acorns campaign by visiting www.savethegrant.com – every click counts.