English: Bryn and Liz Davies from Kinmel Bay first became aware that their unborn baby had a heart condition at the 20-week scan. At the age of two, having already undergone two major operations, Seren was also diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic disorder. Seren loved her respite visits to Tŷ Gobaith. Because she was so happy and being looked after by professional nurses, who knew about and understood her condition, Liz and Bryn felt able to catch up on much-needed sleep and to recharge their batteries, and also to spend time with their son, Iwan. Bryn said, 'We had the reassurance that Seren was in really good hands, and that gave us time to make sure Iwan had a childhood as well.' Sadly, Seren died in January this year, aged just six years old. Oliver Evans from Acrefair suffered a viral infection as a baby, which has left him with chronic lung disease and kidney problems. To survive, he needs to stay connected 24 hours a day to his own personal oxygen supply, and take a whole regime of different medicines. As his mum said, 'During the COVID lockdowns, when we were shielding, they're always there too, calling me regularly to check on us and offer help and advice, and even coming to talk through the window in full PPE. They even helped us by collecting all Oliver's medication and bringing it to us. I can't start to think what life would be like for us without Tŷ Gobaith Hope House. They really are our lifeline.' Children's hospices are primarily involved in providing high-intensity lifelong care and support over an extended duration, often many years, rather than the often sudden-onset high-intensity but relatively short-duration care more common in the adult sector. The issue of inequitable funding for children's hospices in Wales is not new. In recent years, they've fallen behind other UK nations in the support available for these most vulnerable families. Children's hospices in Scotland receive half their funding from the state. In England, it's 21 per cent; in Northern Ireland, it's 25 per cent. The Republic of Ireland recently announced it would fund 30 per cent of running costs for their children's hospices. In Wales, the comparable figure is less than 10 per cent. What has changed is the evidence collated in the 'Family Voices' report, about what impact this limited funding settlement is having on some of the most vulnerable families in Wales. This is why they're calling for a lifeline fund for children's hospices in Wales, to fund additional crucial nights of care at children's hospices for children with life-limiting conditions in Wales. 'Family Voices' were clear: extra nights of nurse-led respite for each child and family, supported by the hospices, are essential to the whole family's mental health and relationships, and saves them from breaking. To allow hospices to develop positive relationships with the family throughout a child's life, establishing a trusted partnership working, and a deeper understanding of the child and family's needs. This in turn will lead to more effective end-of-life care and bereavement support, and better outcomes for the families at the time when they face the inevitable and heart-breaking loss of their child. To reduce unplanned and crisis hospital admissions for children with life-limiting conditions, in turn reducing the burden on the NHS. To ensure our hospices can sustain and expand their care in other areas, such as physiotherapy and other therapeutic support, clinical support and advice, and as part of the broader ecosystem of NHS providers end-of-life care and bereavement support. To give the hospices the financial confidence to plan to expand sustainable services, to reach more children and families, knowing that they can meet their needs without depriving others of essential services. To support local government to meet its statutory requirements in relation to respite care, which cannot be met without a sustainable children's hospice sector. To move Wales from bottom of the home nations table, in terms of funding per capita for children's hospices. And ultimately, to ensure Wales makes a vital step in our national mission to become a compassionate country. I will finish by quoting the children's hospices themselves, who told me: 'We are proud to be charities. We are not looking for handouts, we're looking for something that guarantees for these families that we will be there for them. We just want to fill the need.' Last, but not least, they said, 'Statutory funding currently stops at our doors. Opening this up would enable us to offer more respite and more services to those who need us.' How could anybody disagree with that? Diolch.
Welsh: Daeth Bryn a Liz Davies o Fae Cinmel yn ymwybodol am y tro cyntaf fod gan eu baban yn y groth gyflwr ar y galon yn y sgan 20 wythnos. Yn ddwy oed, ar ôl cael dwy lawdriniaeth fawr eisoes, cafodd Seren ddiagnosis hefyd o anhwylder genetig eithriadol o brin. Roedd Seren wrth ei bodd gyda'i hymweliadau seibiant â Thŷ Gobaith. Gan ei bod mor hapus ac yn cael gofal gan nyrsys proffesiynol, a oedd yn gwybod am ei chyflwr ac yn ei ddeall, roedd Liz a Bryn yn teimlo y gallent ddal i fyny ar gwsg mawr ei angen ac ailwefru eu batris, a threulio amser gyda'u mab, Iwan. Meddai Bryn, 'Roedd yn dawelwch meddwl gwybod bod Seren mewn dwylo da iawn, a rhoddodd hynny amser i ni wneud yn siŵr fod Iwan yn cael plentyndod hefyd.' Yn anffodus, bu farw Seren ym mis Ionawr eleni, yn ddim ond chwe blwydd oed. Dioddefodd Oliver Evans o Acrefair haint feirysol pan oedd yn fabi sydd wedi ei adael gyda chlefyd cronig yr ysgyfaint a phroblemau gyda'i arennau. Er mwyn goroesi, mae angen iddo fod wedi'i gysylltu 24 awr y dydd â'i gyflenwad ocsigen personol ei hun, a chymryd cyfres gyfan o wahanol feddyginiaethau. Fel y dywedodd ei fam, 'Yn ystod cyfyngiadau symud COVID, pan oeddem yn gwarchod, maent hwy yno drwy'r amser hefyd, yn fy ffonio'n rheolaidd i gadw llygad arnom a chynnig help a chyngor, a hyd yn oed yn dod i siarad drwy'r ffenestr mewn cyfarpar diogelu personol llawn. Fe wnaethant hyd yn oed ein helpu drwy gasglu holl feddyginiaeth Oliver a dod ag ef atom. Ni allaf ddechrau meddwl sut beth fyddai bywyd i ni heb Dŷ Gobaith. Hwy'n bendant yw ein hachubiaeth.' Mae hosbisau plant yn darparu gofal a chymorth gydol oes dwys iawn, yn bennaf dros gyfnod estynedig, blynyddoedd lawer yn aml, yn hytrach na'r gofal dwys iawn sy'n aml yn digwydd yn sydyn ond am gyfnod cymharol fyr sy'n fwy cyffredin yn y sector oedolion. Nid yw mater cyllid anghyfartal i hosbisau plant yng Nghymru yn newydd. Yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, maent wedi syrthio ar ôl gwledydd eraill y DU o ran y cymorth sydd ar gael i'r teuluoedd mwyaf agored i niwed hyn. Mae hosbisau plant yn yr Alban yn cael hanner eu cyllid gan y wladwriaeth. Yn Lloegr, mae'n 21 y cant; yng Ngogledd Iwerddon, mae'n 25 y cant. Cyhoeddodd Gweriniaeth Iwerddon yn ddiweddar y byddai'n ariannu 30 y cant o gostau rhedeg hosbisau plant. Yng Nghymru, mae'r ffigur cymharol yn llai na 10 y cant. Yr hyn sydd wedi newid yw'r dystiolaeth a gasglwyd yn adroddiad 'Lleisiau ein Teuluoedd', ynglŷn â'r effaith y mae'r setliad ariannu cyfyngedig hwn yn ei chael ar rai o'r teuluoedd mwyaf agored i niwed yng Nghymru. Dyna pam eu bod yn galw am gronfa achub i hosbisau plant yng Nghymru, er mwyn ariannu nosweithiau ychwanegol hanfodol o ofal mewn hosbisau plant i blant â chyflyrau sy'n cyfyngu ar fywyd yng Nghymru. Roedd 'Lleisiau ein Teuluoedd' yn glir: mae nosweithiau ychwanegol o seibiant dan arweiniad nyrsys ar gyfer pob plentyn a theulu, gyda chefnogaeth yr hosbisau, yn hanfodol i iechyd meddwl a'r berthynas rhwng aelodau'r teulu cyfan, ac yn eu hachub rhag torri. Caniatáu i hosbisau ddatblygu perthynas gadarnhaol â'r teulu drwy gydol oes plentyn, gan sefydlu gwaith partneriaeth dibynadwy, a dealltwriaeth ddyfnach o anghenion y plentyn a'r teulu. Bydd hyn yn ei dro yn arwain at ofal diwedd oes a chymorth profedigaeth mwy effeithiol, a chanlyniadau gwell i'r teuluoedd ar yr adeg y maent yn wynebu'r anochel a'r torcalon o golli eu plentyn. Lleihau derbyniadau heb eu cynllunio a derbyniadau mewn argyfwng i'r ysbyty i blant â chyflyrau sy'n cyfyngu ar fywyd, gan leihau'r baich ar y GIG yn ei dro. Sicrhau y gall ein hosbisau gynnal ac ehangu eu gofal mewn meysydd eraill, megis ffisiotherapi a chymorth therapiwtig arall, cymorth a chyngor clinigol, ac fel rhan o ecosystem ehangach darparwyr gofal diwedd oes y GIG a chymorth profedigaeth. Rhoi hyder ariannol i hosbisau gynllunio i ehangu gwasanaethau cynaliadwy, a chyrraedd mwy o blant a theuluoedd, gan wybod y gallant ddiwallu eu hanghenion heb amddifadu eraill o wasanaethau hanfodol. Cefnogi llywodraeth leol i fodloni ei gofynion statudol mewn perthynas â gofal seibiant, na ellir ei fodloni heb sector hosbisau plant cynaliadwy. Symud Cymru o waelod tabl y gwledydd cartref, o ran cyllid y pen i hosbisau plant. Ac yn y pen draw, sicrhau bod Cymru'n cymryd cam hanfodol ymlaen yn ein cenhadaeth genedlaethol i ddod yn wlad dosturiol. Rwyf am orffen drwy ddyfynnu'r hosbisau plant eu hunain, a ddywedodd wrthyf: 'Rydym yn falch o fod yn elusennau. Nid ydym yn chwilio am gardod, rydym yn chwilio am rywbeth sy'n gwarantu i'r teuluoedd hyn y byddwn yno ar eu cyfer. Rydym am ddiwallu'r angen.' Yn olaf, ond nid yn lleiaf, roeddent yn dweud, 'Mae cyllid statudol yn gorffen wrth ein drysau ar hyn o bryd. Byddai agor hyn yn ein galluogi i gynnig mwy o ofal seibiant a mwy o wasanaethau i'r rhai sydd ein hangen.' Sut y gallai unrhyw un anghytuno â hynny? Diolch.