AN Aberconwy hospice has been championed in the Senedd as part of the Welsh Conservative debate on hospice and palliative care in Wales.

During her calls for the Welsh Government to improve the amount of financial support provided to hospices, Janet Finch-Saunders, AM for Aberconwy, highlighted the plight of care facilities and how they are loosing out on statutory support because they are based in Wales.

“We are fortunate to have exceptional palliative care facilities in Aberconwy,” Mrs Finch-Saunders said following her speech. “Every year, Tŷ Gobaith and St David’s Hospice provide invaluable care and support to individuals with life-limiting conditions, and their friends and family.

“The army of local volunteers fundraising in aid of the essential service are its back bone. Without their efforts the charities just couldn’t continue to support so many individuals."

Mrs Finch-Saunders said St David’s Hospice receives less than 14 per cent of the funding it needs from the Welsh Government and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

“Equally bad is the situation for Tŷ Gobaith, which receives only one month of its income from statutory sources," she said.

“To put it simply, the Welsh Government is buying one and getting eleven free."

Mrs Finch-Saunders added: “Clearly, our hospices deserve more money, so I was proud in calling for the funding formula, which hasn’t been changed for a decade, to be updated."