Orcadian Column, 5 December 2024

A measure of an event’s significance is often determined by the extent to which we recall where we were on hearing the news. So it was that when I learned of the momentous House of Commons vote in favour of changing the law to give those with a terminal illness and mental capacity the choice of an assisted death I was in the pasta and dry food aisle in Tesco.

During a shop for the Orkney Foodbank, I was wrestling with whether penne or pasta shells might be more appropriate and had lost track of time. As I opted for penne and threw the packets into the trolley, my phone pinged with an alert telling me the historic news that Kim Leadbeater MP’s bill had been supported by 330 votes to 275.

There’s a long way to go, of course, with the detail to be scrutinised and amended. Indeed, there is no guarantee yet that the final bill will be passed, but the vote last Friday was nonetheless highly significant. Hopefully, it also increases the likelihood of my MSP colleagues taking a similar approach to the general principles of my own assisted dying bill when it comes to a key vote at Holyrood early next year.

Kim Leadbeater deserves enormous credit for leading the campaign at Westminster over recent months with great empathy and compassion. Her respectful approach set the tone for Friday’s debate, which showed the Commons at its best, with compelling arguments made by MPs across the parties and from a range of different perspectives.

Polls consistently show strong public support for a change in the law to allow for more choice at the end of life, but the public also expects the debate to be conducted seriously and respectfully. Regardless of how they voted, MPs rose to that challenge, doing justice to the sensitivity of the issue in the process.

The interaction between assisted dying and palliative care featured prominently in the Commons debate, as it did during my discussion with those attending the Hospice UK conference in Glasgow on Tuesday last week.

It was a privilege to have been invited to address the conference, where I underlined how hospice care provides a safe, non-judgmental place for patients, whose needs are always at the forefront. I argued that offering the choice of assisted dying was consistent with this ethos. Indeed, the evidence from places like Australia and New Zealand show increased investment in and access to palliative care often goes hand in hand with introducing similar models of assisted dying. I see no reason why this should not happen in Scotland and across the UK.

We should be looking to increase choice through improved palliative and hospice care alongside assisted dying for the small number of individuals who we know can find themselves beyond the reach of palliative care. It’s not a case of either/or. We need both.

Of course, that additional investment in palliative care is urgently needed, not least to offset the extra costs arising from the UK Government’s hike in employer’s National Insurance contributions. Given the First Minister’s assurances over the weekend about prioritising health and care services in the forthcoming Scottish budget, I would hope his Finance Secretary, Shona Robison will have some good news for the hospice sector when she makes her statement at Holyrood this week.

Ms Robson’s budget must also evidence signs that the crises in mental health and housing are being prioritised by ministers while offering some respite for local councils, many of whom are on their knees along with the key local services they provide.

In an Orkney content, this should also include moves by Scottish Government to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to ferry replacement.  To be fair, the ferries taskforce has provided a helpful framework and momentum for discussions between OIC and government. As the need for new vessels becomes ever more urgent, however, so tangible results are now desperately needed.

Inevitably, the budget will be a mixture of both good and bad, making negotiations to get it approved tricky in a parliament of minorities. However, the debate on assisted dying shows this is possible, even if it’s not always straightforward.