The Irish Hospice Foundation strives to influence the development of government policy on all issues affecting end-of-life care and the provision of hospice care in Ireland.

This involves informing politicians and policy influencers (such as public servants) on the steps that need to be taken to ensure that a comprehensive hospice service is available to all citizens, irrespective of where in the country they live (i.e. which region) or the nature of their illness.

The Foundation engages in a range of advocacy activities, including delivering lectures, organising briefings and preparing submissions.

Our positions are influenced by:

• international best practice
• research being conducted in Ireland and overseas
• patients' and families' actual experience of end-of-life care. 

Collaborations

The Irish Hospice Foundation works alone and also in collaboration with other organisations in order to influence government policy. We work with the Irish Association for Palliative Care and the Irish Cancer Society in our efforts to develop hospice services.

We are also a member of the Older & Bolder campaign, which is working to achieve a better quality of life for older people throughout Ireland.

Finally, we are on the international Steering Committee which organises the annual International World Hospice & Palliative Care Day - a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world.

Other activities

Other advocacy activities include organising the Commemorative Mary Holland Human Rights Lecture.  Former President and UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, delivered the inaugural 2005 lecture, and former EU Commissioner, Lord Patten of Barnes, delivered the 2007 lecture.

Click on the following press releases/news items from our archives to get a flavour of our advocacy work of recent years:

October 2007.  World Hospice & Palliative Care Day, 2007

May 2007.  Political parties pledge support for the development of hospice/palliative care services.

January 2007.  Irish Hospice Foundation welcomes commitment to hospice/palliative care in National Development Plan  

June 2006. World Hospice & Palliative Care Day, 2006

March 2006.  A Baseline Study on the Provision of Hospice/Specialist Palliative Care Services in Ireland: new report highlights service gaps.

October 2005.  World Hospice & Palliative Care Day 2005.