Patients "should have a right" to palliative care
People should have a right to palliative care, Holyrood's Health Committee has said as MSPs raised concerns that patients with some conditions still face difficulties accessing this kind of treatment.
The committee stressed that care for those who are approaching the end of their life should be based on need, and not what condition they are diagnosed with.
After an inquiry into the provision of palliative care in Scotland, the MSPs said there is a perception that cancer patients receive better palliative care''.
While increasing numbers of people with other terminal conditions are on the palliative care register, the committee's report said there still remains an issue with access to palliative care for people with non-malignant diseases''.
Calling for palliative care to be a right, committee convener Duncan McNeil said: Our committee came to a firm conclusion that everyone who needs it should be able to access high quality, person-centred palliative care.
We heard that this is not happening on a consistent basis and that people across Scotland have a different experience depending on where they live, their age and their condition.''
A report for the committee by Professor David Clark of Glasgow University suggested that more than 10,000 Scots who could benefit from palliative care towards the end of their life die without receiving it.
The committee also heard evidence that the homeless and people with learning difficulties are less likely to receive this form of care.
They argued there is a need for access to palliative care to be more consistent across all conditions, ages and locations'', calling for this to be addressed in the framework for palliative and end-of-life care being developed by the Scottish Government.
The framework should also look at training, with the committee saying there is a need for all health professionals to be comfortable in initiating conversations around death and dying''.
Mr Neil said: Conversations around death and dying are never easy. But palliative care is about giving people the best quality of life regardless of how long that may be for.
This report is not about policy in isolation but people. The provision of good quality palliative care affects us all whether as parents, children, or as carers of loved ones. It's important that change comes as a result of this inquiry and more work is undertaken by the Scottish Government to find out why people are not getting the care they need.''
The report highlighted a lack of data on palliative care services and their funding.
In addition MSPs said there needed to be more consistent and long-term funding arrangements in place for hospices'' and added there wasmerit'' in Healthcare Improvement Scotland being tasked with assessing the quality of palliative care and placing more emphasis on this area in their inspections.
Deputy convener Bob Doris said: Our committee heard that the UK ranks top in all key studies of palliative care development around the world in relation to the organisation and delivery of palliative care. However the committee recognises that there is always room for improvement and the collection of robust data can help measure the effectiveness and quality of the care being provided.
As our population ages and more people need palliative and end-of-life care, it is vital we look beyond just the specialist settings and take a more comprehensive look at where care is being provided to ensure the right care is delivered at the right time and in the right setting.''
Health Secretary Shona Robison welcomed the report and said: As the committee acknowledges, we are developing a palliative and end-of-life care strategic framework in partnership with key stakeholders. This is due to be published by the end of the year.
This framework will help ensure that everyone in Scotland - infant, child, young person or adult - no matter where they live and no matter what clinical conditions they have, will receive care from a health and social care system that recognises when time is becoming shorter. It will be supported by £3 million funding over three years. The committee's report will help inform the development of this framework.''