Ministers told palliative care needs ‘transformation, not tweaks’

Palliative care in Scotland requires “transformation, not tweaks”, ministers have been told as they launched a strategy aimed at improving the care people receive.

Hospice UK said the new measures outlined by the Scottish Government are “an important starting point”, but it also made clear there needs to be “bold action to drive urgent reforms”.

Helen Malo, senior policy and public affairs manager at Hospice UK, said: “The future of palliative care requires transformation, not tweaks.

“Too many people in Scotland are still dying without the support they need, and too many are spending their final weeks in hospital beds, not because they need to be there, but because the system gives them no other choice.”

She was speaking after the Palliative Care Matters For All strategy document was published by the Scottish Government.

The measures it proposes include the introduction of a helpline to provide round-the-clock advice and support to health professionals providing palliative care.

This, the strategy said, would give “people confidence and support whenever they need advice about palliative care or what to do when someone is ill or dying”.

It also promises better integration of specialist palliative care into existing hospital and community health services, and to improve public information on palliative care in a bid to help people talk more openly about issues related to death, dying and bereavement.

The strategy sets out that one of its core aims is to ensure people of all ages with “life-shortening conditions” and their families can “receive palliative care, care around dying and bereavement support based on what matters to them”.

The Government has also said a Palliative Care Learning Hub will be launched to help strengthen training and education.

But Ms Malo said: “We need bold action to drive urgent reforms – investing in palliative care to meet rising demand, expanding community-based services, and reducing avoidable hospital admissions.

She said the Government “must also deliver on its previous promises of long-term, sustainable funding for hospices, including full parity with NHS pay for hospice staff”.

Ms Malo added: “This strategy marks a turning point, but more is needed to make sure everyone in Scotland can access the best possible care at the end of life.”

Jacki Smart, chairwoman of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group, also said she hopes the strategy will be a “turning point” which “brings meaningful improvements to access, equity, and long-term sustainability of palliative and end-of-life care across the country”.

She added: “We are encouraged to see commitments to improved training, public understanding, and better integration across settings.”

Mark Hazelwood, chief executive of the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care, said he hopes the strategy “will deliver a step-change in understanding – that palliative care is not a niche activity but rather a major thread running through the current challenges and opportunities for Scotland’s health and social care system”.

He continued: “There is a lot which can, with the right support, be improved.

“We look forward to working closely with Scottish Government and other partners to maximise the strategy’s positive impact.”

Public health minister Jenni Minto said: “We want everyone in Scotland – regardless of age, diagnosis, or location – to have access to timely, high-quality and person-centred palliative care.”

Speaking as she visited the Cornhill Macmillan Centre in Perth, Ms Minto said the strategy is “rooted in the voices of people with experience of palliative care, alongside the expertise of professionals, carers, and the third sector”.

The minister said: “Working in partnership, we hope to ensure that palliative care is compassionate, person-centred, and available to all who need it.”