Jockey Club Children’s Palliative Care Project —
2026 Asia Children's Palliative Care Symposium Concludes Successfully

Children’s Cancer Foundation Releases Three-Year Results of

"Jockey Club Children’s Palliative Care Project"

Breaking Healthcare Blind Spots：NICU Referral Rate Increase Significantly by 56%

Pioneering Community "Six-Whole " Model Earns High Recognition from Over 95% of Parents and 90% of Partnering Healthcare Professionals

Officiating guests pose for a group photo with speakers and attendees at the "Jockey Club Children’s Palliative Care Project — 2026 Asia Children's Palliative Care Hybrid Symposium", marking a lively and memorable occasion.

(HONG KONG, 5 September 2026) Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and organised by the Children's Cancer Foundation, the "Jockey Club Children’s Palliative Care Project — 2026 Asia Children's Palliative Care Hybrid Symposium" was held today at the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The event was held in a hybrid online-offline format, successfully attracting over 3,000 local and overseas field professionals, experts, scholars, and frontline healthcare personnel to jointly explore ways to elevate the quality of children’s palliative care in Asia.

Mr. LAM Chee-yau Timothy, Vice-Chairman of the Children’s Cancer Foundation, delivers the opening address at the symposium, reiterating the Foundation's steadfast commitment to advancing cross-specialty paediatric palliative care.

Mr. LAM Chee-Yau Timothy, Vice-Chairman of the Children’s Cancer Foundation, stated in his welcome remarks: "Children's palliative care is by no means passively giving up on treatment; rather, it is a comprehensive 'child-centric, family-oriented' approach designed to enhance quality of life. Since pioneering home and palliative care services in 1999, the Foundation has expanded to provide multidisciplinary support across a wide spectrum of critical illnesses. By sharing the outcomes of this project, we hope to promote the concept of children’s palliative care through this groundbreaking community service model, dispel societal misconceptions about palliative care, break public taboos surrounding life and death, ensure the needs of this vulnerable group are seen, and convey a message of respecting and cherishing life throughout society." Over its nearly three years of implementation, the project has successfully integrated the Foundation's practical experience, The Hong Kong Jockey Club's resources, and the public hospital network to establish a unique tripartite collaboration model. This has not only built a safety net for local families facing childhood critical illnesses, but also provided vital evidence-based experience for children’s palliative care across Asia.

Officiating guests host the opening ceremony for the "Jockey Club Children’s Palliative Care Project — 2026 Asia Children's Palliative Care Hybrid Symposium". (From left: Mr. LAM Chee-yau Timothy, Vice-Chairman of the Children’s Cancer Foundation; Dr. WONG Lap Gate Michael, Director (Quality & Safety) of the Hospital Authority; Ms. LIU Kitty, Deputy Executive Manager, Charities, The Hong Kong Jockey Club; and Prof. DOWNING Julia, Chief Executive of the International Children's Palliative Care Network.)

Dispelling the Myth of "Palliative Care Equals End-of-Life Care" to Drive Early ICU Intervention

According to Hospital Authority data (S&SW, S&P, HAHO 2016), more than 50% of fatal cases under the age of 18 occur in intensive care units, where healthcare staff and family members often struggle with deciding when to transition from active resuscitation to comfort care. The "Jockey Club Children’s Palliative Care Project" works to fill this service gap by advocating early intervention right at the time of critical illness diagnosis, systematically integrating palliative care principles—focusing on quality of life, comfort care at end of life, and effective communication—into Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Units (NICU & PICU) across nine public hospitals in Hong Kong.

Key Service Outcome Highlights of the "Jockey Club Children’s Palliative Care Project"

The project brings together a multidisciplinary team of nurses, social workers, and child life specialists to practice seamless support under the " Six-Whole Model” — Whole Person, Whole Family, Whole Team, Whole Journey, Whole Spectrum, Whole Time. As of the end of July 2026, the project's key service achievements include:

• First-in-Hong-Kong Early-Stage ICU Integration: Pioneered the early integration of Children's Palliative Care (CPC) into NICUs & PICUs across nine public hospitals in Hong Kong, successfully connecting 13 partnering hospitals with over 50 schools and early education and training centres, while collaborating with The Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct local evidence-based research.

• 56% Increase in NICU Referral: Cases referred from the NICUs and PICUs increased significantly during the project implementation, especially the NICU referrals, reflecting a mindset shift in frontline perspectives that successfully broke acute care limitations focused solely on "full resuscitation," debunking the traditional myth that "palliative care equals end-of-life care".

• Over 1,000 Individuals Benefited Holistically: Services have reached a cumulative total of 250 critically ill children (39 from NICU, 42 from PICU, and 169 from general paediatrics) and 789 family members.

• 97% Parent Satisfaction: 97% of parents expressed extreme satisfaction with the project's services; nearly 95% reported improved their caregiving skills and built confidence in home care; 80% experienced relief from caregiving stress, effectively preventing crises of physical and mental exhaustion among long-term caregivers.

• Over 90% Industry Healthcare Practitioner Satisfaction: More than 90% of partner hospital teams expressed high satisfaction with the project. They affirmed the team's role as a communication bridge between "Home, Hospital, and School", assisting children with medically complex conditions to smoothly transition back into family, community, and school life. Through 24/7 on-call availability, end-of-life and bereavement follow-ups, and equipment lending, the project relieves pressure on clinical staff and families while reducing unnecessary medical expenses.

• Pioneering CPC Nurse Training Pilot Scheme: Addressing the local gap in structured paediatric palliative nursing training, the CCF nursing team provided mentorship to practicing paediatric nurses and nursing students. Through active participation in home and hospital visits, as well as family activities, they contributed more than 330 hours of service while gaining valuable experiential learning opportunities. Beyond the nurse training pilot scheme, the project has empowered 1,044 healthcare professionals, 1,231 from the general public, and 104 volunteers through various workshops, training sessions, and sharing sessions.

Leading Community Children's Palliative Care to Establish a Pioneering Position in Asia

Over the past 27 years, the Children’s Cancer Foundation has been a dedicated pioneer in driving local paediatric palliative care. Through the "Jockey Club Children’s Palliative Care Project — 2026 Asia Children's Palliative Care Hybrid Symposium", the Foundation aims to share Hong Kong’s accumulated evidence-based experience with Asian and international counterparts, foster regional professional exchanges and cross-sector collaboration, and further propel the development of children’s palliative care in Asia so that more children with critical illnesses and their families can live with dignity and hope.