UK based charity, Kentown Support has launched its groundbreaking community-based Palliative and End-of-Life-Care programme across Greater Manchester for babies, children and young people living with life-limiting conditions.
This programme addresses significant gaps and inequity of provision in children’s palliative care including limited community-based end-of-life support for children and their families.
In June, Kentown Support’s Greater Manchester programme was recognised with two prestigious industry awards: the Partnership Working Across Health and Social Care Award at The Palliative and End of Life Care Awards 2026, and the Outstanding Health Care Innovation Award at The Greater Manchester Business Awards 2026
Defining the need
A scoping exercise carried out by the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Strategic Clinical Networks revealed just how stretched services had become. Significant gaps in palliative care for babies, children and young people were identified, including:
- Limited access to 24/7 community nursing support
- Inequitable provision for children with a life-limiting condition
- Specialist nursing support in palliative and end of life care available in only four of ten localities
- Limited access to end-of-life care at home
- Inequity in specialist bereavement and sibling support
- Inconsistent specialist training for staff
The Model
Kentown Support’s vision is that every child with a life-limiting condition, and their family, has access to high-quality, integrated, round-the-clock community palliative care wherever they live in the UK. Its unique community model works alongside local services to deliver more coordinated, accessible and family-centred support.
By working with existing local services and adding provision where there is a gap, the Kentown Children’s Community Palliative Care programme brings together Nursing Support, (Greater Manchester ICB), Coordination, (Together for Short Lives), Therapeutic and Counselling and Bereavement Support, (Gaddum), and dedicated training and supervision for Kentown Support Nurses, (Alder Hey Children’s Hospital).
For many babies and children, dying at home has not been an option with only four out of ten localities commissioning a community-based palliative care nurse. The programme will add Kentown Children’s Palliative Care Community Nurse Specialists in the remaining six localities who will benefit from Continuing Professional Development opportunities, clinical supervision and a fantastic rotation opportunity with the Specialist Palliative Care Team at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
A Single Point of Access
Referrals can be made by families themselves as well as by professionals resulting in a streamlined, consistent and efficient pathway for families and professionals to access palliative care support services. The single point of access will also strengthen multidisciplinary working across the region.
Referrals can be made via the Kentown Support website Kentown Support | Community Children’s Palliative Care UK
System Change
With the number of children with life-limiting conditions continuing to rise and a higher prevalence in children from minority ethnic populations and areas of high deprivation, it is only with system change and different ways of working that levelling up of children’s community palliative care provision across Greater Manchester and indeed all areas of the UK, is achievable.
The Government’s Modern Service Framework for Palliative Care and End-of-Life-Care, sets out an ambitious agenda: equitable access to high-quality support and a more responsive needs-based approach.
The Kentown programme in Greater Manchester provides the opportunity to reach into communities where families have the highest need, such as those from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Grounded in Evidence and Research
Kentown Support has partnered with the Cicely Saunders Institute to establish a Centre of Excellence in Children’s Palliative Care at King’s College London, led by Professor Lorna Fraser, ensuring its programmes, are driven and supported by data and evidence.
Alongside providing education and training for health and social care professionals, the centre will inform policy and drive innovations in care delivery to enable all children and young people to have access to the care they require, including palliative care, when and where they need it.
Under the leadership of Professor Lorna Fraser, a Health Economic Evaluation will be undertaken of the Kentown Support offer across Greater Manchester. This study will evaluate how the new community model affects families’ quality of life, household costs, unplanned healthcare use and overall system costs.
Contact Details
For further information on Kentown Support of its Greater Manchester programme:
E: programmes@kentownsupport.org.uk
T: 0786 837 7959
This is really Good. In low and middle income countries there is still a big challenge for continuous palliative care following discharge during end of life. Many families during end of life wish to take their children home, but what happens after the hospital, little is known.
I am from Uganda