Palliative out-of-hours care service 'obviously isn't working'

Ruby is 10 years old and suffers from severe cerebral palsy, is blind and deaf, and is fed through a tube.

Children with life-limiting conditions need round the clock care. This is usually provided at home by families, but with the support of professionals. Specialist palliative support is available, but Ruby’s mum Charlotte finds accessing this care out-of-hours and at the weekends difficult.

Charlotte doesn’t blame the nursing staff, saying “I’m really mindful of the fact that they are an amazing service… but, they are stretched so thinly that their service obviously isn’t working.”

Basildon Clinical Commissioning Group say that following a review, they found a “specific gap in out-of-hours specialist community nursing provision for children” and they will make sure the changes “are fully in line with NICE guidance before the end of the year.”

This clip is taken from 5 live Investigates: Palliative Care on Sunday 12th November 2017.