Hansard

I thank my colleague Clare Adamson for bringing the motion to the chamber today and reminding us of the impact that pancreatic cancer can have. I took part in debates on the subject as a back bencher, because I recognise the importance of raising awareness.

I also thank Pancreatic Cancer Action, Pancreatic Cancer UK and others for their continued efforts in raising awareness of pancreatic cancer and supporting people and their loved ones who are facing that diagnosis. I, too, welcome those organisations to the Scottish Parliament today.

I thank my colleagues in the chamber for sharing such valuable contributions to the debate. Like Jamie Hepburn and other members, I have been contacted by constituents, in Argyll and Bute, and I have heard from families who are grieving the loss of a loved one through pancreatic cancer. I thank them for their courage in sharing their stories, with the heartfelt aim of improving knowledge and awareness.

Pancreatic cancer awareness month comes as a stark reminder to us all of the dreadful impact that a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can have. The outcomes are typically poor, and we must significantly improve that situation at pace. I thank Marie McNair and Finlay Carson for describing the symptoms so clearly in their contributions. Willie Coffey and Finlay Carson are both absolutely right that we, as MSPs, are privileged to be able to help raise awareness.

The Scottish Government’s ambitious 10-year “Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033”, which was published in 2023, makes clear our determination to improve cancer survival rates. Our earlier cancer diagnosis vision underpins our investment in a range of programmes that are aimed at supporting early diagnosis, which will help us to improve survival rates. It includes publishing the refreshed Scottish referral guidelines for suspected cancer, which support primary care clinicians in recognising the symptoms that may indicate cancer, including pancreatic cancer. The guidelines include, for the first time, criteria for non-specific symptoms; that is especially important for pancreatic cancer, as its early signs can be subtle and easily missed.

As Jamie Hepburn noted, we launched Scotland’s sixth rapid cancer diagnostic service this year. Those services are diagnosing cancer faster for those with non-specific symptoms. An independent evaluation by the University of Strathclyde found that hepato-pancreato-bili—it is my turn to get it wrong; I will just say HPB—cancers made up 17 per cent of the cancers that were found. I note the valuable work of all those involved in pilot projects to speed up the time from referral to diagnosis and treatment for patients with HPB cancers. Those involved have a key role in making it clear that we must do more for patients with pancreatic cancer across the whole cancer care pathway, not just part of it.

As Carol Mochan noted, collaboration is important. That is why we commissioned the Scottish HPB network to take forward the consensus and develop national recommended pathways for HPB cancers. The SHPBN has started to develop the clinical management pathway for those cancers, which will promote equitable routes to cancer care across Scotland, with patients at the centre. The network has also provided its clinical consensus on what optimal diagnosis for patients should look like to the centre for sustainable delivery, for use in its delivery of the upper gastrointestinal optimal diagnostic pathway, which will include HPB cancers. Those pieces of work will both be delivered in 2026.

As members have said, a pancreatic cancer diagnosis is devastating for those who are diagnosed and for their loved ones. I cannot stress enough the importance of person-centred care, to ensure that all patients get access to support throughout their cancer journey and that their voices and needs are heard.

The Scottish Government continues to support and invest in our single-point-of-contact pilots. Those aim to ensure that all patients have a point of contact to support them in navigating their cancer care, thereby improving shared decision making between the individual and their clinical teams and access to timely reporting of results. It has been found that the single-point-of-contact pilots have had more than 30,000 patient interactions, freeing up more than 3,970 hours of clinical nurse specialist time and improving experiences. We are actively considering how we best scale up that approach in order to benefit all patients with cancer in Scotland.

Through the transforming cancer care programme, the Scottish Government is working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to improve the service that we offer patients with cancer. That partnership is worth £27 million and is the first of its kind in the UK. From April 2024 to March 2025, more than 6,000 people across Scotland were supported through the programme by a specialist key worker, who signposted them to emotional, financial and practical support. That includes considering what local community assets and support services are available. I recognise Carol Mochan’s points about inequalities, and I believe that this service goes some way towards alleviating those.

We have taken important steps to improve care for people at every stage of their journey. This autumn, we published the “Palliative Care Matters for All” strategy, alongside refreshed national guidelines and new training resources to support those who deliver care.

I, too, would like to reflect on the positive news that Finlay Carson mentioned about the Maggie’s centre in Dumfries and Galloway, which makes a profound difference to those living with cancer and their families. We are working to strengthen bereavement support, where required, and to ensure that spiritual care is not just available but truly embedded in everyday practice.

Investment in our understanding of pancreatic cancer is key to the ability to prevent, identify and treat it. Our strategy makes clear the importance of research to our strategic aim of improving cancer survivability and providing excellent equitably accessible care to patients in Scotland. The Scottish Government’s chief scientist office directly funds research projects and fellowships. Last year, we committed more than £620,000 to fund two research projects at the University of Glasgow. The first project is looking at cells in pre-cancerous lesions that are at high risk of progressing to pancreatic cancer, and the second is looking at how cancer cells and immune cells interact in a way that can affect responses to initial chemotherapy. Our chief scientist office will continue to work with the University of Glasgow as the research progresses.

I want to make clear the Scottish Government’s enduring commitment to improving pancreatic cancer outcomes and supporting the importance of raising awareness. In doing so, we can improve early diagnosis rates as well as patient experience and overall outcomes. I look forward to seeing flashes of purple in support of pancreatic cancer awareness month, which will include lighting up the Scottish Government buildings St Andrew’s house and Victoria Quay tomorrow.

I thank everyone for their contributions and I especially thank the charities that are in the Parliament today. I hope that we can move to improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer.