Palliative Care and Hospices

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:13 pm on 28 March 2023.

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Photo of Sarah Murphy Sarah Murphy Labour 2:13, 28 March 2023

Thank you, First Minister. Earlier this month I had the pleasure of visiting Sandville self-help centre, which is in Ton Kenfig in my constituency, and they have provided life-changing support for those diagnosed with cancer, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, dementia and other serious life-limiting and life-changing conditions for over 40 years. Sandville relies on the generosity of fundraisers, and they've recently done the most incredible refurbishment of the whole centre, and it includes, but is not limited to, a hydrotherapy pool, counselling rooms, a gym and mobility suite, and also, at the moment, they're working towards having a cabin that can be used for families when a child has cancer, so that the whole family can have respite together. 

Minister, I'm not alone, either, in recognising the work that Sandville does. Callum Hughes, service improvement adviser at Parkinson's UK, recently visited the site and said there is nothing like this in Wales or the rest of the UK, especially with their free, open-to-anyone, drop-in therapy sessions for people with Parkinson's each week. As you can tell, I'm incredibly proud of the Sandville centre, and I would like people from across Wales to be able to benefit from the incredible support, and also learn from their model of care, so that we can have this service across Wales for everybody who needs it.

So, First Minister, I'm just asking you today, really, to join me in congratulating the team and the trustees and the volunteers, as well as so many people from across Wales who have fundraised for Sandville. Diolch.