Hansard

I thank Paul Sweeney for securing the debate, which is on a topic that is hugely important to us all. As Richard Leonard pointed out, many of us in the chamber today spoke on the topic last year, and I think that many of us who return after next year’s election will talk about it again.

In my constituency of Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, I see every day the quiet strength of communities that look after one another, especially when times are hard. However, I also see something that should trouble each and every one of us: people who are terminally ill and people at the very end of their lives spending their last precious months and days in poverty.

The preliminary findings from the invaluable research from Marie Curie and Loughborough University paint a devastating picture. More than 6,500 people in Scotland die in poverty each year, and more than 7,700 die in fuel poverty. Those are not just numbers on a page in a report—they are our neighbours, our parents, our friends or perhaps even our children. We know them, and we love them.

In rural constituencies such as mine, where we already face economic hardship, higher energy costs and an ageing population, the burden is even heavier. Families speak of loved ones who will put on another jumper and coorie under as many blankets as they can while they ration their heating so that they can afford food; they tell us of children taking on caring responsibilities while their parents skip meals to make ends meet; or, as the research tells us, family members give up work to look after a dying loved one and end up resorting to taking out costly loans just to survive. That is not dignity, it is not compassion and it is not the Scotland that we want to be.

The research makes it clear that one in four working-age people with a terminal illness die in end-of-life poverty. Imagine that. After a lifetime of work and of paying into a system, people spend their final days worrying about bills instead of spending time with those they love. It is heartbreaking and unjust. For me, this is a social justice issue as well as a health issue.

We must be bold enough to act. Marie Curie has called for people of working age who are living with a terminal illness to receive a guaranteed state-pension-level income, as my colleague Bob Doris pointed out. I fully support that call. No one should have to beg for financial security at the end of their life. Although we might not have all the levers when it comes to social security, I wonder what the Scottish Government can do within the scope of the powers that it has and how it can apply pressure at UK level and perhaps work together with the UK Government to find a solution to that problem.

Alongside financial justice, we must look at how we care for people. For too long, our model has defaulted to hospital admission, when what people truly want, and what research shows us leads to better outcomes, is to be cared for in their own communities, surrounded by familiarity and love.

In my constituency, we see that alternative approach working in practice. Dalmellington care centre is a shining example of community-based palliative care; it is a place where compassion and professionalism meet. The centre, which is located in an area that is having to deal with entrenched poverty and which hosts one of Scotland’s deep-end general practitioner practices, allows people to receive the care that they need close to home, supported by staff who know them, who understand the realities of rural life and who work hand in hand with the families, the communities and the community services. That is an innovative alternative model of care that should be replicated everywhere.

I was proud to see that the recent Care Inspectorate report recognised the outstanding work that is being done in Dalmellington. It praised the commitment, the warmth and the dignity that are offered to every resident. That report shows what is possible when we invest in care that is local, integrated and rooted in community values. The outreach and the follow-on support that are provided are second to none, and they ensure that all incomes are maximised.

As we debate how to tackle end-of-life poverty, let us also talk about dignity in care. Let us ensure that every person in Scotland, whether they live in a city, a tenement or a small Ayrshire village, has the right to a warm home, the right to financial security and the right to a peaceful, supported death.

A society is judged not by its wealth but by how it treats its most vulnerable. If we can find the compassion to act, to guarantee financial dignity, to expand community palliative care models such as the one that is offered in Dalmellington, and to support families who give so much, we will truly build a Scotland that cares, in every sense of the word.