For my contribution this afternoon, I'd like to focus on the impact that the crisis in nursing in Wales is having on hospices, and in particular on the two children's hospices in Wales—Tŷ Hafan and Tŷ Gobaith. Both hospices are sanctuaries to some of the most vulnerable children in Wales and their families. Neither hospice can work to full capacity, however, due to growing staffing costs and financial limitations to maintain a competitive employment choice for nurses. This means that the hospices are unable to provide all the support they can to the people who need it the most.

Having campaigned hard with the hospices to improve the funding settlement provided by the state to hospices, it is incredibly disappointing that hospices cannot currently work at full capacity. It seems that the recent uplift provided by the Welsh Government, which was the first in over a decade and still lags way behind the support provided by the SNP Government to children’s hospices in Scotland, has not kept pace with the rapidly changing circumstances. Not only are prevailing conditions and the economic outlook affecting the charities' ability to raise funds, but there has also been little recognition of how rising costs and inflation have essentially engulfed the bulk of the funding made available. Also, with nursing resource costs set to increase further, the gap between funding received and the effect on services delivered become larger.

Research shows that the need for hospice-based services, end-of-life care, symptom management and crisis-driven respite care is only going to increase. Yet, shockingly, these needs are increasingly not being met. Having visited Tŷ Hafan and seen first-hand the difference they make to children facing the bleakest of futures, this is truly heartbreaking. The outlook is that things will only get worse. An upcoming prevalence study, sponsored by Welsh Government, will show that a vast number of families with life-limited children, who are amongst the most vulnerable in our society, are not presently in receipt of hospice support.

Resourcing beds has not always been straightforward, specifically for Tŷ Hafan, where the exhausted pipeline for qualified children's nurses has led to recruitment challenges. This recruitment challenge reflects the current nursing shortage, and sustainable funding is vital to secure the provision of these essential services in line with current need. The connection between great care and experienced nurses is well known, and yet the current shortage of nursing staff in Wales is severely affecting a hospice's ability to deliver the level of care and support they would like to as many families as possible. If the current rate of attrition continues, it is conceivable that the hospices will not be able to operate. In line with their stated aim to be a compassionate country, the Welsh Government should support the hospice sector, specifically those nurses who are its building blocks, and this support must begin with an above-inflation pay rise. Diolch yn fawr.