THE number of children and families being cared for and using Acorns Children's Hospice's services has risen to the highest level in its history.

Latest figures released by the charity show Acorns, which operates three children’s hospices in Worcester, Selly Oak and Walsall, has cared for 865 children and supported 1,088 families over the last 12 months.

Over the past year, 222 children and 283 families have been supported by the hospice on Bath Road, Worcester.

The regional children’s charity has been providing specialist palliative care and support to local life limited and life threatened children and their families across the heart of England for almost 30 years.

Emma Aspinall, director of care at Acorns, said: "The number of children we are working with is now at the highest level ever.

"Being responsive to the needs of the children and their families is our priority, whilst providing quality care of the highest standard.

"We accepted an average of 16 new referrals a month over the last year.

"The need for the provision of specialist palliative care is greater than ever before and we believe it should be a basic right for every child and family in need.

"Medical advances mean that children with very serious conditions are thankfully living longer than previously expected, with an increasing number reaching adulthood.

"Whilst we celebrate this fact, we also acknowledge there is an ever growing group of vulnerable children with increasingly complex health and social needs spanning longer periods of time.

"Acorns is unique, working across the whole of the West Midlands bringing together nurse-led clinical services within the hospice facilities and clinical and psychosocial care within the community.

"Our skilled and experienced multi-disciplinary teams deliver bespoke support and care to children and families, helping them cope with the medical, physical, emotional and financial challenges they face every day.

"And as budget cuts really kick in elsewhere in the social care sector, we’re finding that we’re filling in gaps as families lean on us more than ever."

Acorns vision is that every child and young person that is life limited or life threatened should receive the specialist care and support they need.

It costs nearly £10million for Acorns to operate its three hospices and the majority of these costs are met through public fundraising.

For more information on how you can support the charity go to acorns.org.uk, call 01564 825000 or visit your local Acorns shop.