Hansard

I thank Clare Adamson for bringing the debate to the chamber. On behalf of Scottish Labour, I mark pancreatic cancer awareness month and world pancreatic cancer day, which, as we have heard, takes place on 21 November.

Raising awareness of illnesses such as pancreatic cancer is absolutely pivotal in ensuring early diagnosis and improving prognosis. During my three years in the Parliament, Clare Adamson has truly played her part in that regard, and I thank her for doing so. In one of the very first debates in which I participated, I shared my story of a close family friend’s experience. I have been here for other such debates in the years since, and I appreciate how often Clare Adamson brings the issue to the chamber.

The key point that I will make is that the situation is urgent. Others have mentioned the reasons why, which I will go over, but we must make advancements in the treatment options and address the health inequalities in what is often a very late-diagnosed condition. As we have heard this evening—it is worth saying it again—80 per cent of people with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed at a late stage and more than half of people die within three months of diagnosis. We can see why much needs to be done to raise awareness of symptoms and that the Government has a huge responsibility to ensure that the national health service is in a position to encourage and support research efforts and to do important work around early diagnosis.

We know that there must be urgent changes to funding in Scotland for research into pancreatic cancer. Many of the briefings make that point to members, and I am sure that the minister will have heard that, too. I hope that she will respond to that point in her closing remarks.

As the motion states, the £600,000 of funding for early diagnosis and treatment is very welcome, but we must have confidence that there will be more and continued funding of the research part of the NHS. I read the briefing notes on that, and I noted that the importance of research to advancements in treatment cannot be overstated. I thank all the researchers and, of course, the patients and families who participate in the research and contribute to that life-saving and valuable work.

I also thank the various organisations that have contacted me and other members ahead of today’s debate with their briefings. They highlight the sheer scale of the challenge that we face and the fact that we must move forward with some urgency on pancreatic cancer care.

Like Miles Briggs, I ask the minister to respond on the potential closure of the national service that is known as the Scot HPB national care pathway. From what I have read in the briefings and in other papers, there does not seem to be any commitment after March 2025. It is important for us to understand what the Government is considering. The concern is that, if the service reverts to regional guidance, regional variation will reappear and health inequalities will continue to worsen, because funding is precarious.

Members will know that I repeatedly raise the issue of health inequalities in the chamber. We know that those in our most deprived communities are more likely to get cancer and, tragically, to die from it. I know that we all agree that that is absolutely unacceptable, so I ask the minister to consider whether we can do anything to make that situation better, because if we can, we should do it. I hope that the minister and the Government are making successful decisions on that point.

I thank Clare Adamson and other fellow members who have contributed to the debate.