Tag: palliative care

Scotland’s leading healthcare organisations raise serious concerns over Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill

Scotland’s leading healthcare organisations raise serious concerns over proposed changes to Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill

A group of six major medical and healthcare membership organisations in Scotland has issued a joint consensus statement warning of their significant concern regarding changes now being proposed to the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

The organisations – whose members span a wide range of clinical and ethical perspectives on assisted dying – emphasise that while they take no collective position on the principle of assisted dying, they are united in their concern that provisions relating to no duty to participate and conscientious objection may be removed from the Bill, and the impact that this could have on the workforce.

The Scottish Government has recently indicated that key provisions relating to ‘no duty to participate’, as well as other protections linked to professional regulation and employment rights are not within devolved powers and may be removed from the Bill at Stage 3. These issues would instead be addressed later through a Section 104 Order – secondary legislation that receives only limited parliamentary scrutiny.

The signatory organisations state that removing issues of such significance risk undermining both professional confidence and public trust.

The joint letter, sent today to Liam McArthur MSP, the Scottish Parliament Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, as well as the Secretary of State and Chair of the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee states:

“The prospect of removing matters of such professional, ethical, and legal significance from parliamentary scrutiny at Stage 3, and deferring them to secondary legislation after the Bill has passed, raises important questions about transparency, accountability, and the robustness of the legislative process.

“These protections are central to the safe, ethical, and fair delivery of care, and to the confidence of our medical workforce who may be affected by the legislation.”

The organisations highlight four core concerns:

1. Removal of key safeguards from primary legislation

2. Risk to professional confidence and public trust

3. Inadequate scrutiny of consequential provisions

4. Implications for safe and ethical implementation

The group of organisations in consensus express their continuing commitment to work constructively with the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament to ensure that any legislation affecting assisted dying is developed transparently, rigorously, and with full consideration of the healthcare workforce it will impact.

Signatory organisations:

  • Association for Palliative Medicine (Scotland)
  • Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland
  • Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
  • Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland
  • Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
  • Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Consensus statement – ADTIA (Scotland) Bill – FINALDownload

Palliative care learning hub launched

Free online resource for Scotland’s health and social care workforce

A new online learning hub providing free palliative care education resources for Scotland’s health and social care workforce launches today.

The Palliative Care Learning Hub brings together recommended learning materials from NHS Education for Scotland, Scottish Social Services Council, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Health Boards and third sector organisations in one accessible place.

The hub supports staff and students wherever they work or study – offering advice on providing compassionate end-of-life care – that reflects the refreshed 2025 Palliative Care Education Framework launched in November. It offers free, flexible ways to support learning and development for individuals, teams, and organisations.

Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health Jenni Minto said: “Everyone deserves compassionate, high-quality care at the end of their life. This new learning hub will help ensure our health and social care workforce has the knowledge and skills to provide that care.

“By bringing together palliative care learning resources in one accessible place, we are making it easier for staff across Scotland to access the education and support they need. This is an important step forward in delivering on our commitment to improve palliative care for people of all ages.”

The hub is a key action from Scotland’s palliative care strategy and delivery plan, supporting the outcome that health and social care staff caring for people of all ages with life-shortening conditions, have access to recommended education and learning resources.

Palliative Care Learning Hub: 

https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/86009/palliative-care-learning-hub

Dignity in Dying Scotland: Response to First Minister’s position on Assisted Dying Bill

Responding to the First Minister’s comments on Liam McArthur MSP’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill,  Ally Thomson, Director of Dignity in Dying Scotland said: “I am disappointed that the First Minister will not be voting to progress Liam McArthur’s Bill.

“I know, and appreciate that he took the time to speak with dying people who are desperate for this choice, and to families who had watched someone suffer a painful death.  I believe him when he says it was not an easy decision to reach. 

“The sad truth is that if MSPs were to vote against extending safe and compassionate choice to dying Scots many more terminally ill people will suffer and the harm created by the blanket ban on assisted dying will persist.

“Doing nothing is the worst thing Parliament can do here.  With people going to Switzerland, stopping eating and drinking and taking matters into their own hands its clear that assisted dying is happening in Scotland right now – but in unsafe, unregulated and unkind ways.

“I value the First Ministers comments that his vote is on a personal basis, and he does not seek to influence others decision on this.

“I am optimistic that Tuesday’s vote will bring a breakthrough for terminally ill Scots who are desperate for more choice. The mood of the Parliament seems to have caught up with the views of the vast majority of Scottish people – that it is time for a more compassionate and safe law.”

Improving palliative care

Consultation on reaching best possible standards

Views are being sought on a new strategy Palliative Care Matters for All.

Palliative care is holistic care that prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, assessment and management of pain and other problems – whether physical, mental, social or spiritual.

An ageing population that is living longer, with more complex needs, means more people will need access to palliative care in the future. The draft strategy has been developed in collaboration with the palliative care community and people who have experience of palliative care.

The aim is to deliver the best possible standards of palliative care for adults and children, families, and carers wherever and whenever it is needed.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Talking ­more openly about palliative care is the first step to understanding how and when it can benefit us – often at a much earlier stage and for longer than most people realise.

“We want to make sure that everyone who needs it can access well-coordinated, timely and high-quality palliative care along with care around dying and bereavement support.

“This consultation is important as many of us at some point in our lives will need to have conversations with people close to us about serious illness, death and loss.  We’re asking the public to share their views with us to help shape our new strategy, because palliative care matters to us all.”   

Scottish Government Palliative Care Clinical Lead and Chair of the Palliative Care Strategic Steering Group Dr Kirsty Boyd said: “I have seen first hand how timely, high quality palliative care can really make a difference to people and their families in supporting them to live their life to the full.

“Palliative care focuses on what matters to each adult or child and how we help them live as well as possible for however long that is. What counts when someone is dying is that they are well cared for, comfortable and with the people closest to them wherever they are.”

Palliative Care Strategy: Palliative Care Matters for All – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Palliative Care Matters for All: strategy consultation – Scottish Government consultations – Citizen Space

Letters: who cares?

hands

Dear Editor

By the middle of 2016 all patients who have limited life time left will receive palliative care treatment.

In the past there have been other ideas; for example the ‘Liverpool Pathway’ treatment which is now seen as bad practice and was stopped.

A full public explanation of palliative care is urgently needed to give assurance that this latest scheme is based on enhanced individual care, carried out by adequatel numbers of staff fully trained in enhanced caring.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens