Senedd Cross Party Group on Hospice and Palliative Care

 

Sixth Senedd

 

Annual Report 2024-2025

 

 

1.    Group membership and office holders

 

Chair: Mark Isherwood MS

 

Senedd Members:

Mabon ap Gwynfor MS

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS

Jane Dodds MS

Janet Finch-Saunders MS

Mike Hedges MS

Altaf Hussain MS

Darren Millar MS

Peredur Owen Griffiths MS

 

Secretary: Matthew Brindley, Hospice UK

 

External Members:

Andrea Powell, Cruse Bereavement Care Cymru

Andy Goldsmith, Ty Gobaith/Hope House

Huw Owen, Ty Hafan & Ty Gobaith/Hope House

Tracy Jones, Ty Hafan

Iwan Hughes, Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Laura Hugman, Paul Sartori Hospice at Home

Liz Booyse, City Hospice

Katie Reade, Hospice UK

Rachel Jones, Marie Curie

Jon Antoniazzi, Marie Curie

Jane McGrath, St Kentigern Hospice

Gareth Jones, St David's Hospice

Iestyn Davies, Cytûn - Churches Together in Wales

Emma Saysell, St David's Hospice Care

Grant Usmar, Hospice of the Valleys

Lesley Bethell, Compassionate Cymru

Sian Guest, MNDA

Rachel Williams, Parkinson’s UK Cymru

Thea Brain, Care Forum Wales

Heather Ferguson, Age Cymru

Ceridwen Hughes, Same but Different

Mary Mitchell, TIDE

Oscar Din, Pancreatic Cancer UK

 

 

2.    Highlights of the year

 

·         CPG continues to be an active and inclusive forum bringing together people with lived experience, clinical and community expertise, and policy and research knowledge of palliative and end of life care in Wales.

·         The CPG has kept hospice and palliative and end of life care issues on the agenda writing regularly to and engaging Welsh Government, Health Boards, and various government bodies advocating for policy and funding solutions to support and develop a more sustainable sector and address inequalities in access to care.    

·         Joint in-person CPG with Funerals and Bereavement enabled wider sharing of experiences and good practice from across sectors.

·         Brought together expertise and knowledge from across the Assisted Dying debate to highlight possible implications for palliative and end of life care in Wales.

 

 

3.    Meetings since CPG established

 

Thursday 11 July 2024 (virtual)

 

Issues covered:

 

·         Extraordinary Annual General Meeting

·         Outline of proposed issues for the CPG to cover in 2024-25

 

Attendance:

 

Mark Isherwood MS (Chair)

Mabon ap Gwynfor MS

Mike Hedges MS

Peredur Owen Griffiths MS

Matthew Brindley, Hospice UK (Secretary)

Liz Booyse, City Hospice

Huw Owen, Ty Gobaith/Ty Hafan

Lesley Bethell, Compassionate Cymru

Tracy Jones, Tŷ Hafan

Jane McGrath, St Kentigern's

Gethin Rhys, Cytûn - Churches Together in Wales

Ceridwen Hughes, Same but Different

 

 

 

 

Apologies:

 

Jane Dodds MS

Altaf Hussain MS

John Moss, Compassionate Cymru

Trystan Pritchard, St David's Hospice

Grant Usmar, Hospice of the Valleys

Heather Ferguson, Age Cymru

Mary Mitchell, TIDE

Melanie Minty, Care Forum Wales

Emma Saysell, St David's Hospice Care

Rachel Jones, Marie Curie

Tomos Evans, Marie Curie

 

 

Election:

 

Mark Isherwood MS stepped down as Chair.  

Liz Booyse nominated Mark Isherwood to be re-elected to Chair and was seconded by Huw Owen and Mike Hedges MS.  

Mark Isherwood was duly elected as Chair of the CPG on Hospice and Palliative Care for 2024/25.  

 

Matthew Brindley stepped down as Secretary. Mark Isherwood nominated Matthew Brindley on behalf of Hospice UK to provide Secretariat and was seconded by Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, Liz Booyse and Tracy Jones . 

Matthew Brindley elected as Secretary for 2024/25.

 

 

Wednesday 11 December 2024 (virtual)

 

Issues covered:

 

 

Attendance:

 

Mark Isherwood MS (Chair)

Carol Davies, Huntington's Disease Association

Jen Mills, MND Association

Natasha Davies, Marie Curie

Matthew Brindley, Hospice UK (Secretary)

Liz Booyse, City Hospice

Huw Owen, Ty Gobaith/Ty Hafan

Lesley Bethell, Compassionate Cymru

Tracy Jones, Tŷ Hafan

Jane McGrath, St Kentigern's

Davina Carey-Evans, Family Fund

Irfon Rees, Ty Hafan

John Moss, Compassionate Cymru

Andrea Powell, Cruse Bereavement

Rachel Jones, Marie Curie

Catrin Glyn, Carers Trust

Gethin Rhys, Cytûn - Churches Together in Wales

Ben Dellow, Together for Short Lives

Prof. Liz Reymond, Queensland VAD

Hannah Buckingham, Macmillan

 

Melanie Minty, Care Forum Wales

 

Apologies:

 

Ceridwen Hughes, Same but Different

Andy Goldsmith, Ty Gobaith

Grant Usmar, Hospice of the Valleys

Mary Mitchell, TIDE

Emma Saysell, St David's Hospice Care

Heather Ferguson, Age Cymru

Janet Finch-Saunders MS

Margaret Hollings, St David's

Darren Millar MS

Steve Parry, Nightingale House

 

 

Wednesday 2 April 2025 (in-person & virtual)

Joint CPG on Hospice and Palliative Care/Funerals and Bereavement

 

Issues covered:

 

 

Attendance:

 

Mark Isherwood MS (Chair)

Liz Booyse, City Hospice

Matthew Brindley, Hospice UK (Secretary)

Natasha Davies, Marie Curie

Rebecca Aylott, NAFD (Secretary)

Irfon Rees, Ty Hafan

Huw Owen, Ty Gobaith/Ty Hafan

Lesley Bethell, Compassionate Cymru

Tracy Jones, Tŷ Hafan

Andrea Powell, Cruse Bereavement

Thea Brain, Care Forum Wales

Dafydd Huw, ​​​​ Royal College of Psychiatrists

Tomos Evans, Marie Curie

Baroness Ilora Finlay

Darren Rutland, HDA

Hilary Watson, MS Society

Heather Ferguson, AGE Cymru

Jen Mills, MND Association

Jack Sunderland, Caldecott and Sons

Laura Hugman, Paul Sartori Hospice at Home

Jodie Beck, Hospice UK

Mari Vaughan-Owen, Humanists UK

Lee Barnett, Sandy Bear

Alexander Owen, MS support staff

Martin Jones, Sandy Bear

Dr Sarah Davies, Consultant Physician, BCUHB

Philip Blatchly, Philip Blatchly Funeral Directors

Terry Tennens, SAIF

Steven Crane-Jenkins, BASW Cymru

Dr Jason Shannon, Lead Medical Examiner for Wales

Dr Victoria Wheatley, Palliative Care Consultant, Hywel Dda UHB 

Andrew Judd, NAFD

Eleanor Hunt, The Woollen Cwtch Company

Rachel Bradburne, NAFD

Tyler Troy

Doug Nairn, NAFD

Rhys Price, Gwilym C. Price Son & Daughters

Kathy Riddick, Humanists UK

 

Apologies:

 

Darren Millar MS

Janet Finch-Saunders MS

Jane Dodds MS

Llyr Gruffydd MS

Heather Hughes, 2Wish

Verity Sterling, Church in Wales

Lestyn Davies, Cytûn/Churches Together in Wales

Andy Goldsmith, Ty Gobaith/Hope House Children’s Hospice

John Moss, Welsh Government Programme Manager for the National Bereavement Framework

Gethin Rhys from Cytûn/Churches Together in Wales

Carol Davies, HDA

Brendan Day, Greener Globe Funeral Standard

Paula Williams, Papyrus

Stephen Tom, Philip Tom & Sons

Revd Nicola Frail, MoD

 

 

 

4.    Professional lobbyists, voluntary organisations and charities with whom the Group has met during the preceding year

 

Speaker/presentations/updates from:

 

·         Prof Liz Reymond, Palliative Consultant and Director of Queensland Voluntary Assisted Dying Support and Pharmacy Service (Australia)

·         Tomos Evans and Natasha Davies, Marie Curie Cymru

·         Ben Dellow, Together for Short Lives

·         Liz Booyse, CEO, City Hospice & Chair Hospices Cymru

·         Baroness Ilora Finlay

·         Dr Jason Shannon, Lead Medical Examiner for Wales

·         Hospice UK

 

 

Annual Financial Statement 2024-2025

 

Group’s Expenses.

No expenses incurred.

£0.00

Costs of all goods.

No goods purchased.

£0.00

Benefits received by the group or individual Members from outside bodies.

No benefits received.

£0.00

Any secretariat or other support.

 

Policy and public affairs support paid for by Hospice UK

£4755.11

 

Services provided to the Group such as hospitality.

 

Date

Description and name of provider

 

Cost

02/04/2025

Senedd Catering for Joint CPG on Hospice and Palliative Care/Funerals and Bereavement

 

£40.52

No Hospitality provided

 

£0.00

Total cost

 

£4815.63