Meeting of the Parliament 06 December 2023
I, too, thank Sue Webber MSP for bringing the debate to the chamber and everyone here for their thoughtful contributions. I have listened carefully and with much interest to what members have said. Everyone’s comments illustrate the invaluable nature of hospice care and support that we have in Scotland. It is something that is close to my heart, as members I have spoken with directly understand.
I have taken the past six months to visit and meet people in as many hospices as possible across Scotland. What has struck me about all those visits and meetings is the breadth of care and support that hospices provide across our amazing country. As Sue Webber said, hospices are more than simply buildings. We all need to reflect on that, because many people assume that that is what they are. As Rhoda Grant highlighted, Highland hospice has an amazing partnership with a number of organisations in Highland and is doing work that is similar to the work that Sue Webber highlighted is happening in the Edinburgh area.
I, too, thank Hospice UK and Marie Curie for their helpful briefings ahead of the debate. Most importantly, I thank all those who work in hospices across Scotland for delivering high-quality palliative and end-of-life care services, often under difficult circumstances. Sue Webber’s motion makes it clear how vital hospices are in delivering such care for people and their families, but it also reflects the challenges that we face in developing our palliative care and end-of-life services to meet the needs of our ageing population.
As other members said, Hospice UK estimates that the number of people who need palliative care in Scotland will increase by 20 per cent by 2040. That is why we need to create the right conditions nationally to ensure that our local palliative and end-of-life care services, including hospices, have the support that they require to meet that need. Scottish hospices are well placed to help to address those challenges, given their expertise in providing vital support to people and their families, as well as supporting other health and social care services and teams that deliver palliative and end-of-life care.