TIME TO GIVE HOSPICES THE FUNDING THEY DESPERATLY NEED - MULHOLLAND

12.00.00am GMT Wed 30th Jan 2008

Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West and a Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Health, is speaking in the House of Commons today in adjournment debate about the need to increase funding for hospices, which provide vital care for the terminally ill and their families.

Mr Mulholland, who has the Wheatfields Hospice in his own constituency, will discuss the huge funding gap which means that hospices across the country are left to rely on individual fundraising to provide crucial services.

Commenting ahead of the debate Mr Mulholland said:

"Hospices provide a whole range of excellent services and care for those in the most tragic circumstances, and yet they remain criminally overlooked and undervalued.

"I have visited the Wheatfields Hospice in my own constituency a number of times, and witnessed at first hand the excellent service they provide for terminally ill patients, and for their families.

"Yet despite the critical importance of this care, Wheatfields has to raise over £1 million pounds every single year through donations and fundraising just to keep going, and this is a scenario which is repeated right across the country.

"It is time to finally provide the financial support to hospices which is so badly needed for these superb facilities to continue and thrive. "