Northern Ireland

Finance Minister ‘open to bid’ for further funding for NI Children’s Hospice

The facility recently announced it is considering cutting bed places due to pressures on its funding.

A general view of the NI Children's Hospice
A view of the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice in Belfast, which is to reduce its beds capacity due to a "loss of government funding". Picture date: Tuesday February 6, 2024. (Liam McBurney/PA)
By Rebecca Black, PA

The Stormont Finance Minister has said she is “open for a bid” for funding to secure full services at the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.

The charity has said it is considering cutting bed places due to pressures on its funding.

It cited a loss of state funding and other challenges presented by the cost-of-living crisis.

Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald said she was open to a bid for additional funding for the children’s hospice as she prepares the 2024/25 budget
Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald said she was open to a bid for additional funding for the children’s hospice as she prepares the 2024/25 budget (Liam McBurney/PA)

The hospice, which is located in Newtownabbey, provides specialist palliative care for more than 350 babies, children and their families every year.

The organisation said its position over reducing some services remained unchanged despite an intervention from Health Minister Robin Swann to reinstate £85,000 of funding.

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Speaking during Finance Minister questions at Stormont on Tuesday, Caoimhe Archibald said she was open to a bid from Mr Swann for additional funding for the Children’s Hospice as she prepares the 2024/25 budget.

She told MLAs that she is “committed to working with the Health Minister to consider any proposals from the Department of Health to support the Children’s Hospice”.

DUP MLA Philip Brett, who has collected almost 1,200 signatures on a parliamentary petition for more funding for the facility, said there is huge public concern at the reduction of services.

Ms Archibald responded: “I have recently begun the process of setting the budget for the Executive for the incoming financial year. As part of this, departments have been invited to make bids for the available funding based on their own priorities and needs.

The hospice provides specialist palliative care for more than 350 babies, children and their families every year
The hospice provides specialist palliative care for more than 350 babies, children and their families every year (Liam McBurney/PA)

“It will obviously then be a matter for the Executive to decide how the funding is shared out between departments and for individual ministers to decide how to allocate funding within their own departments.

“I have written to the Health Minister to say that if services are not considered affordable within the Department of Health baseline then I would encourage him to make a bid for the additional funding as part of the 2024/25 budget exercise.

“That is a position that I would be keen to discuss with the Health Minister when I am having one-to-ones with each of my Executive colleagues in the 2024/25 budget setting process.”