Claire House Children’s Hospice has launched a new campaign, The Extra Mile Counts, calling for support to help bring full hospice care closer to home for babies, children and young adults in Liverpool and the surrounding areas. 

For families facing the unimaginable, distance can make an already heartbreaking situation even harder.

Right now, many families in Liverpool must travel long journeys to Claire House’s Wirral hospice to access specialist nursing, end-of-life care and emotional support, journeys which are often simply not possible when a child is critically ill.

Through its new campaign, Claire House is highlighting the urgent need to develop its existing site in West Derby, Liverpool, into a fully operational, 24/7 children’s hospice. 

This would allow families to access specialist care, overnight support, and end-of-life care closer to home, when time together matters most. 

For years, families have shared how distance to the existing Wirral hospice has made accessing specialist care or spending precious end-of-life moments together incredibly difficult.

Claire House already provides therapeutic services, emotional support, and day care for families from its West Derby site, which is located close to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where so many local children receive their treatment. 

West Derby Site Development to Remove Travel Barriers

However, without a purpose-built hospice, families are unable to stay overnight or access the full range of specialist medical care they need during the most critical moments of their child’s life. 

As a result, some families are left with no choice but to remain in hospital, even when their wish is to be cared for in a calm, homely hospice environment surrounded by specialist staff they know and trust.

The charity says developing a full children’s hospice in Liverpool would change that, giving families real choice and dignity at the hardest times imaginable. 

The new hospice would provide specialist nursing and end-of-life care, respite breaks, and emotional and bereavement support for families, ensuring families can spend less time travelling and more time together. 

The campaign addresses the severe logistical challenges faced by North West families who require round-the-clock medical supervision for their children. 

Kate Jones, from Warrington, whose son Josh was supported by Claire House for most of his life, shared:

“We always wanted our son Josh to pass at Claire House, but he was too ill to be transferred to the Wirral site. 

“It was just too far.

“If the West Derby site were up and running, we absolutely would have preferred him to be transferred so he could pass there instead of in the hospital. 

“We wouldn’t have chosen a hospital for him.”

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Transforming the Liverpool site will bridge a vital gap between major local hospitals and home-based palliative care. 

David Pastor, CEO of Claire House, said:

“Children in Liverpool need hospice care closer to home. 

“When time is short, families shouldn’t have to travel miles for care, compassion or dignity. 

“A full hospice in West Derby will mean more children living their best life, for as long as they can, and more families receiving support right on their doorstep.”

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