Specialist medical and nursing care is a top priority within every children's hospice. But for Alison Blair, the activities co-ordinator at Scotland's only hospice, it is a joy of her job that a child's absolute right to a happy childhood is recognised and honoured equally. 'Play is valued - you don't have to fight about children's right to play,' she says.
For hospices like Rachel House in Kinross, next month's Children's Hospice Week, run by the Association of Children's Hospices (ACH), is a special chance to highlight the work that goes on within these remarkable places.
In the UK there are currently around 15,000 to 20,000 children suffering from life-limiting conditions. Families who care for them 24 hours a day, year round, may suffer huge emotional, physical, mental and financial strain. The children's healthy siblings may feel neglected, and parents find their role subsumed into the relentless caring for the sick child (or, with genetically linked conditions, sick children).
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