Francis House offers support to hospice closure families

Francis House supports hospice families from across Greater Manchester.

Francis House Children’s Hospice has always been there for the families and children of Bury, Heywood and Middleton, Rochdale and Oldham and will hopefully continue to be.

Francis House has promised to fast-track any families affected by the planned closure of Grace’s Place in Bury who wish to use the hospice in Manchester.

Forget Me Not at Grace’s Place is currently caring for 17 families from across Greater Manchester and working with them to signpost them to other services in the area including Derian House and Francis House.

David Ireland, Chief Executive, Francis House Children’s Hospice said: “At Francis House we currently have 18 families from Bury, 28 from Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton and 30 from Oldham. Of these families 52 are using the hospice for respite care.

“We will work with Forget Me Not to make the process as easy as possible. Families who wish to come to Francis House should go to our website and use the referral forms provided and mark at the top Grace’s Place.

“There is a great need for children’s hospice provision in the area, and at any one-time Francis House has around 2,000 people receiving some sort of care, helping more than 500 families of children, teenagers and young adults with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions each year.

“Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the late Kirsty Howard and generosity of the people of the north west, Francis House was able to have some reserves which helps us to maintain stability through difficult economic periods.

“To all the families we support from across Greater Manchester including north Manchester, Francis House continues to be there for them as we have since we opened in 1991.”