McArthur calls for improvement to palliative care access

Orkney’s MSP Liam McArthur has today called for the Scottish Government to work to plug gaps in access to high-quality end-of-life care.

At General Questions this morning in the Scottish Parliament, Mr McArthur highlighted the additional funding for the hospice sector secured in the Scottish Budget as a result of negotiations between the Government and Scottish Liberal Democrats. He urged the government to use their palliative care strategy and further funding to ensure access to palliative care is available to those who need it.

The Health Minister Jenni Minto agreed that debate around Mr McArthur’s Assisted Dying Bill had shone a light on the issue but that “it cannot be a choice” between assisted dying and palliative care. She added that the Government would seek to improve access to the latter following their recent consultation on palliative care.

Commenting afterwards, Mr McArthur said:

“The debate around my Assisted Dying Bill has shone a welcome and much needed light on the state of palliative and hospice care in Scotland. While the quality of care is often world leading, access can be an issue for some who need it at the end of life.

“Addressing this issue must be more of a priority for the government, especially as the population ages and complex health needs become more common.

“In that context, I welcome the additional funding for the sector contained in the government’s draft budget. However, it’s clear this needs to be just a first step.

“The Minister is also absolutely right that it is not a question of better palliative care or providing the choice of an assisted death for those who meet the criteria in my bill. Terminally ill Scots deserve access to both.”