Scottish Labour has backed calls for improved end-of-life and palliative care as new research shows that by 2040, 95% of people who die in Scotland may need additional support in their care.
Marie Curie Scotland says another 60,000 people are projected to be dying with a terminal condition by 2040 – with an increase in people dying in the community rather than hospital – and has urged end-of-life care to be made a priority for the Scottish Government with a new national strategy.
Scottish Labour has said a rethink of how palliative care is delivered is urgently needed and that any national strategy must address the changing face of care.
Scottish Labour interim leader Jackie Baillie said:
“The pandemic has really driven home the value of end-of-life care, and the additional pressures families and carers are under as they struggle with lockdown restrictions or limits on visiting relatives in care homes or hospitals.
We urgently need a rethink of how best to manage palliative care. People at the end of their lives are entitled to proper care and dignity and should not be in distress.
A national strategy will help ensure that those living with and dying from terminal illness will get the support they need to live as comfortably as they can with the time they have left.”
