More funding is needed for two county hospices.

Tim Roca has joined Labour MPs from around Cheshire in writing to the minister for social care Stephen Kinnock to ask for a meeting about the hospice capital programme.

They feel that St Luke's and East Cheshire hospices would benefit from such funding, currently receiving less than 18 per cent of their funding from the government.

On East Cheshire Hospice, the letter states: "The hospice is doing a lot of innovative work on avoiding hospital admissions and we would love to show you this.

"East Cheshire has expanded its excellent practice on this substantially in recent times.

"However, due to historical anomalies, like St Luke's, it receives relatively little money from the integrated care board."

Meanwhile, the MPs feel that St Luke's would benefit from being incorporated into the Leighton Hospital rebuild.

The current site, in Winsford, only has ten beds and these are in an open ward, offering no privacy.

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"St Luke's only receives 14 per cent of its funding from the government," the letter adds.

"Despite this, the hospice has managed to save a small amount of capital towards its long-term goal of building a more modern facility.

"There is no space for it to expand further on the existing site."

It continues: "As you know, Leighton Hospital in Crewe will have a major rebuild commencing 'at pace' because of RAAC safety issues.

"The design includes spaces that have been pre- allocated for other potential health partners.

"It has long been the aspiration of St Luke's management team for the hospice to be part of the Leighton Hospital rebuild.

"It would be economically efficient for the hospice to be incorporated as part of the hospital programme using the monies that the hospice has already set aside alongside some money from our new capital allocation."

The letter was penned by MP for Congleton Sarah Russell, who has accepted an invitation to be a voluntary vice president of East Cheshire Hospice.

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It was also signed by Macclesfield MP Tim Roca, MP for Crewe and Nantwich Connor Naismith and Mid Cheshire's MP Andrew Cooper.