Meeting of the Parliament 06 December 2023
I would love to give a more precise indication. I will go back to my officials to get the date, which I know is next year. We are working hard on that and I want to see it driven through. As Rhoda Grant said, people need choice—and that needs to be the right choice for them.
The overarching aim of the strategy is to ensure that everyone who needs it receives well-co-ordinated, timely and high-quality palliative care, care around death, and bereavement support based on their needs and preferences. That support should be available to anyone who needs it, regardless of age, illness or socioeconomic background. I reflect on what Roz McCall said about CHAS and the importance of the care that it provides. When I visited CHAS, there was a sibling there who was still getting support. That is very important.
As I said in the recent debate on the dying in the margins project, being diagnosed with a life-limiting illness is undoubtedly one of the most challenging things that a person can go through. No person or their family should have to worry about their finances at such a difficult time. That is why the Scottish Government ensures that adult disability benefit applications from people with a terminal illness are fast-tracked to provide them with the support that they are entitled to as quickly as possible.
It is also important to reflect on the importance of the dying in the margins project and debates such as this one in ensuring that we are talking about death and allowing people to start planning.
Once again, I thank all those working in hospices for the commitment and dedication that they show each day, often in extremely challenging and upsetting circumstances. I finish by offering my personal thanks for all that they do and for this debate, which is incredibly important.
Meeting closed at 18:13.