Byw Nawr launch at St David’s Hospice, Malpas

Rosemary Butler and I attended the recent launch of ‘Byw Nawr’ at St David’s Hospice, Malpas. Byw Nawr or ‘Live Now’ is a coalition of groups set up to promote public awareness of death, bereavement and palliative care.

The organisation, which is chaired by former Aberavon MP Hywel Francis, argues that society’s lack of openness in discussing death has affected the quality and range of support services available to patients and their families.

I fully support the organisation’s ambition to ensure that society as a whole talks more openly about the sensitive subject of death, and that we encourage individuals to discuss their wishes, thoughts and plans with their families and loved ones.

The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board is playing a leading role in ‘Byw Nawr’ in Wales, and St David’s Hospice in Malpas – which has supported thousands of individuals and families in need of end-of-life care and support – is an excellent model of what high-quality palliative care can achieve. I hope that ‘Byw Nawr’ can help raise awareness of the palliative care available locally; letting people know that there are services in place to support them through most difficult and challenging time of their life.