Role of children’s hospices in caring for children, young people and families
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Role of children’s hospices in caring for children, young people and families

Jayne Price Professor of children’s nursing, School of Nursing, Allied and Public Health, Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, England
Helen Storton Clinical nurse specialist, Martin House Children’s Hospice, Leeds, England
Tracie Lewin-Taylor Nurse consultant, paediatric palliative care, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To update your knowledge on the role of children’s hospices

  • To learn about some of the misconceptions that persist around the services offered by children’s hospices

  • To understand some of the differences between adult and children’s palliative care

Children’s hospices are central to specialist palliative care provision for the increasing number of children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families. These hospices provide holistic care through a range of services, including ongoing care from the point of diagnosis, at the end of life and into bereavement. This article outlines the services provided by children’s hospices, while dispelling misconceptions that they exclusively provide care at the end of life. It also explains how these services have developed and evolved as a result of technological advances. It is useful for nurses to be aware of the role of children’s hospices, so that they can support the effective care of children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2024.e12328

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

j.e.price@kingston.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Price J, Storton H, Lewin-Taylor T (2024) Role of children’s hospices in caring for children, young people and families. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2024.e12328

Published online: 21 October 2024

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more