Hampshire hospice say they're finding nurse shortages "challenging"
A Hampshire hospice are telling us they're seeing a rise in the numbers of children living with a life-limiting condition.
As shortages of nurses continue nationally, a Hampshire hospice say they're finding it "challenging" to find qualified staff to deliver services.
Naomi House and Jacksplace hospice says they're also noticing an increase in the numbers of children living with a life-limiting condition.
Mark Smith, the CEO of the charity, spoke to us about the current challenges facing the hospice.
He said: "There's a national shortage of nurses, so finding really good, qualified staff for us to deliver our services is challenging.
"It's a double-edged sword, really.
"The more nurses we can recruit, and the carers to support them, then the more services we'll be able to deliver.
"The demand is certainly there in so much as there's a growing number of children living with a life-limited condition.
"So those seriously ill children need the support of an organisation like ourselves, in association with lots of other services as part of the integrated healthcare system.
"The more staff we've got, the more beds we're potentially able to open, and the more reach we can have in the community and into hospitals, and the more we're able to do for families locally who need our support."
The charity are currently trying to encourage nurses to join them at their centre through various campaigns.
They're in the process of developing their own education and research centre at the hospices in the hopes to encourage people to come and develop their own careers.
They're also training their own nurses, with one carer currently training to be a fully-qualified nurse with the charity.