The children’s hospice told the ECHO that ‘both services are needed – Zoe’s Place and Claire House’
Claire House children’s hospice has today provided clarity over the services it will be able to provide to families on Merseyside in the wake of the announcement that the Liverpool Zoe’s Place baby hospice will close by the end of the year. Like Zoe’s Place, Claire House is a lifeline for families with seriously ill children in our region, giving them vital support.
Founded in 1998 by a couple whose nine-year-old daughter, Claire, died of cancer in 1989, Claire House provides help for seriously and terminally ill babies, children and young people. The hospice has two sites – a full hospice in Bebington and a second site in West Derby – offering day-care, complementary therapies, clinics, play and music sessions, and counselling.
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Yesterday, in a show of support and solidarity with Zoe’s Place, Claire House issued a statement on Facebook. The statement said: “It is with great sadness that Zoe’s Place trustees have to announce that their Liverpool hospice will close at the end of 2024. With only nine months before the charity’s lease for Yew Tree Lane ends, there is insufficient time and money to relocate to a new home elsewhere.”
“We are deeply saddened by the news about the closure of Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice Liverpool and express our deepest sympathies to all the children, families and staff affected. For 29 years the hospice in West Derby, Liverpool has been a source of vital support to the community.
“Claire House is committed to supporting seriously and terminally ill children across our region and will offer palliative and end-of-life care to any babies or children currently under the care of Zoe’s Place.”
Claire House has a wider remit than that of Zoe’s Place. In addition to offering support to parents and babies, Claire House also works with children and young people up to the age of 25. Zoe’s Place, meanwhile, is a specialist baby hospice.
Today, in an interview with the ECHO, Hannah Shannon from Claire House clarified what the hospice will be able to offer families who currently attend Zoe’s Place. She said: “Our hearts go out to the staff at Zoe’s Place and the families who use it. We want to reassure families as much as we can. But we probably won’t be able to take in all the children from Zoe’s Place. We can only look after the sickest of the children – those in need of palliative and end-of-life care. We can only do it for a limited number of children.
“But just because they don’t meet the criteria doesn’t mean they don’t have needs. This shows why both services are needed – Zoe’s Place and Claire House. It’s not a question of one or the other.
“There is a massive gap in funding for organisations like ours. Last year, we looked after over 100 children at the end of their life. We are dependent on local commissioning money and funding from local authorities to stay open. We also rely heavily on donations from the public. It’s a desperate situation for everybody.”
Zoe’s Place had been hoping to build a new hospice near to its current location and in September the charity’s had plans approved to refurbish a former villa on the former bowling green at Hayman’s Green in West Derby. This came after a huge fundraising drive was launched to pay for the new facility.
But charity bosses said the time taken to get planning permission has left insufficient time to construct the building. This, along with a ‘significant rise’ in the projected costs and ‘the challenge of raising funding in the current economic climate’ means there are now insufficient funds available for the project.
Staff were told of the decision to close the hospice at a meeting on Monday, October 7. They were informed that they have a 30-day consultation period – but that the hospice will be closing before the end of the year.
