Transitions: supporting young people through change

Moving from children’s services into adults’ services can be a daunting time for people with a life limiting condition. Hospice UK, with support from The National Lottery Community Fund, is aiming to improve transition for young people and their families.

'Transition' describes the process of supporting young people to move from children's to adults' services. The process should be purposeful and planned, supporting children and young people’s medical, psychosocial, educational and vocational needs. 

The number of children and young people with life limiting conditions is increasing, and a growing number are living into adulthood. As young people mature, their needs and preferences change, and the support they need has to be adapted accordingly. It’s important to put the young person at the centre of their care, designing services with their voice and input.

If transition from children's to adult hospice care is not effectively planned and managed, the young person might not be able to get the professional care they need. This could affect their physical and mental health, and be challenging for families and loved ones.

Thanks to National Lottery players, Hospice UK has received £1.3 million over four years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. The project will support young people with life-limiting conditions as they move from children’s to adult hospice care, ensuring they receive the care they need – no matter who they are or their background.

Over four years, the programme aims to improve transition from children's to adult hospice services. First and foremost, this means putting young people front and centre and learning what matters most to them. Additionally, the programme will develop and collate useful data for hospices to identify more young people who need support in their area, and gather best practice to share with the sector. The programme will support and educate hospice staff to better care for young adults with life limiting conditions. 

Anita Hayes, Clinical Quality Lead at Hospice UK says: “Transition from children’s to adults’ services is incredibly daunting, as young people and their families move from the safety and security of the care they’ve come to know, into a completely new system. It’s vital that they have a clear plan for what care will look like once they leave children’s services, and this generous funding from The National Lottery Community Fund will help hospices support more young people and their families through this challenging time.”

We will partner with four hospices as regional centres of learning, which will help share best practice and insights that can be implemented more broadly across the country. These centres of learning are The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice (Scotland), Rainbows Hospice for Babies, Children and Young People (East Midlands), St Oswald's Hospice (North East) and Ty Hafan (Wales). They have been selected because they currently deliver excellent transition of care for young people within their catchment areas, collaborating with a diverse range of service providers to do so, and can provide best practice and learnings for other hospices.