John Leech MP praises St. Ann's vital work

1.14.00pm GMT Thu 15th Feb 2007

John Leech, Liberal Democrat MP for Manchester Withington, has praised the crucial services provided by St. Ann's Hospice to thousands of people across Greater Manchester who suffer from life-threatening illnesses.

St Ann's provides care to over 3,000 patients a year, enabling many to return home to be with their families. John is backing moves in Parliament to pay tribute to the dedication of staff and managers.

Mr. Leech has campaigned extensively on cancer care and cancer services both in parliament and at a local level. He recently organised a petition signed by nearly 1,000 people calling on local health chiefs to improve breast cancer screening rates. He has also been named the North-West Lung Cancer Champion by the UK Lung Cancer Coalition.

Commenting on the hospice's work, Mr. Leech said: "Two-thirds of the hospice's funding comes from charitable donations and I have called on the government to ensure that St Ann's can continue to provide such a commendable service through a fairer state funding system."

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Note to editors:

St. Ann's Hospice is one of the largest hospices in the UK with 60 inpatient beds. It cares for over 3,000 patients per year across three sites (Heald Green, Little Hulton and the Neil Cliffe). 42% of patients are able to return home after treatment.

One third of St. Ann's £8.75m budget comes from the NHS while two-thirds are from donations. Many inside and outside of the hospice feel that the current funding system is unfair. The amount given by the NHS does not recognise the immense work that is done by St. Ann's and other hospices. For more information on St. Ann's Hospice visit http://www.sah.org.uk/

"Early Day Motion 657 - St. Ann's Hospice" was put forward by Mark Hunter MP and co-sponsored by John Leech, Paul Rowen, Andrew Stunell, Bob Spink and Graham Brady. The full text of the Early Day Motion along with all signatories can be found at http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=32335&SESSION=885