Early day motion 798

That this House congratulates the hospice movement on its magnificent work for people who are terminally ill which brings so much comfort and support to very many sick people and their families; considers it remarkable that there are now 175 voluntary and NHS hospices, 186 day hospices and 360 nursing teams caring for people at home; notes that over three quarters of the hospices did not exist 10 years ago; welcomes the extra ú37.2 million to be provided by the Government to support the hospice movement in 1992-93; notes that this will enable the NHS to bring to ú57 million its contribution towards the hospices' running costs in 1992-93, an increase of over 400 per cent. since 1988-89; welcomes the setting up of the National Hospice Council to bring together people in the voluntary sector and in the NHS, and the generous support which the council is receiving from British Gas plc and from Help the Hospices, the Cancer Relief McMillian Fund and Marie Curie Cancer Care; and looks forward to the hospice movement going from strength to strength in the years to come.

at end add 'and notes the recently completed Lions Hospice at Northfleet, Kent a 10 bed hospice incorporating a 20 place day care centre, pain and symptom control unit, counselling services and an oncology teaching facility for nurses, an achievement of the Lions Hospice Appeal for North West Kent, run by the Lions Clubs of Gravesend, Dartford and Farningham, which raised over ú1.6 million to build the hospice on one and a half acres at Coldharbour Road, Northfleet provided on a peppercorn rent by the Colyer Fergusson Charitable Trust. '.

at end add 'but notes that the hospice movement is not subject to market forces, and looks forward to the removal of such artificial devices in the NHS with the advent of a Labour Government so that care and concern become the sole watchwords of the NHS as they are in the hospice movement'.