SOCIAL CARE: Lawyers, auditors and council officials slam SNP plans
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Photo by Jamie Simpson/Marie Curie.
MSPs give their support to Marie Curie’s largest fundraising appeal month, the iconic Great Daffodil Appeal, at the Scottish Parliament today (17 Mar).
Supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal, which started in 1986, by donating and wearing a daffodil pin in March helps Marie Curie to continue providing vital palliative and end of life care and support. The leading end of life charity cared for over 9,000 terminally ill people across Scotland in their own homes and at its two Scottish hospices during 2020/21 – its highest number of patients on record since Marie Curie was established in 1948.
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Scottish political support helps Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal flourish
MSPs, lend their support to Marie Curie’s largest fundraising appeal month, the iconic Great Daffodil Appeal, at the Scottish Parliament today (17 Mar).
Following a parliamentary reception last night, MSPs met with staff and volunteers from Marie Curie, to hear about the care and support that is provided to people living with terminal illness, their families and carers across Scotland, especially throughout Covid-19.
The leading end of life charity cared for over 9,000 terminally ill people across Scotland in their own homes and at its two Scottish hospices during 2020/21 – its highest number of patients on record since Marie Curie was established in 1948.
Supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal, which started in 1986, by donating and wearing a daffodil pin in March helps Marie Curie to continue providing vital palliative and end of life care and support.
Ellie Wagstaff, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Marie Curie, said: “With each daffodil worn, there is a personal story, and by donating and wearing your own daffodil, it allows us to continue being there for terminally ill people, their families and carers right across Scotland when they need support the most.
“As a result of the pandemic, where hospital admissions for non-covid patients were reduced, there has been a 40% increase in deaths at home across the country, and Marie Curie’s Community Nursing Service experienced almost a 15% uplift in demand during 2020-21 as it continued supporting terminally ill people at home.
“There has been a significant physical, emotional and financial impact on patients, their families and carers, and health and social care professionals during Covid-19 which will be long-lasting for years to come.
“We must take key learnings from the pandemic to ensure that palliative and end of life care services, including bereavement support, both now and in the future are fully equipped to meet terminally ill people’s needs, as we know that by 2040, 10,000 more people will be dying with palliative care needs each year, with two thirds of all deaths likely to happen in community settings.”
To find out more about the Great Daffodil Appeal, visit mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil
Ends
Notes to Editors
Marie Curie's annual flagship fundraising appeal, the Great Daffodil Appeal is taking place throughout March. The money raised helps to support the charity's nurses, doctors, and hospice staff so they can continue working giving expert care to people at the end of life, and their families. For more information on how to fundraise or donate, visit: mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil
About Marie Curie Marie Curie is the UK's leading end of life charity. The charity provides essential
nursing and hospice care for people with any terminal illness, a free support line and a wealth of information and support on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement. It is the largest charity funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK. Marie Curie is committed to sharing its expertise to improve quality of care and ensuring that everyone has a good end of life experience. Marie Curie is calling for recognition and sustainable funding of end of life care and bereavement support.
Natalie Davidson
Senior PR & Communications Officer
Marie Curie
Care and support through terminal illness
E: natalie.davidson@mariecurie.org.uk
M: 07753258625
Media enquiries: media@mariecurie.org.uk (office hours) /0845 073 8699. For urgent out of hours media enquiries please call.
By Lucy Ashton
This morning’s Health and Finance committee meetings at the Scottish Parliament saw extensive criticism of the Scottish Government’s plans for reforming social care.
Legal experts, health board leaders, council officials and finance professionals, all weighed in.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, right,said: “The Scottish Government needs to stop these plans now before they sink further into the quicksand.
“Their plans are being attacked as vague and incomplete by everyone from health bosses to human rights experts.
“It’s clear that very little in the government’s proposals will make things better for either staff or service users of social care. Rather than set up a billion-pound bureaucracy, the government should channel that money into boosting pay and conditions on the frontline and improving services for those who need them.”
Paul Kelly, health and social care spokesman for the local government body Cosla, said some of the issues about lack of detail in the plans were “very, very significant” and warned that councillors were “being asked to consider it without the proper details.
Eddie Fraser, chief executive of East Ayrshire Council, warned “We have no certainty as local authority leaders on what services are going to look like in the next three to four years, and the current circumstances are truly unstable for social work, for social care, but also for the rest of the council.”
Frank Jarvis of the Scottish Human Rights Commission said the charter of rights proposed by the Bill was a “presentational device of repackaging rights that care users already hold” and warned that “Language in the Bill about human rights was also “unfortunately and unhelpfully vague”
Audit Scotland’s Mark Taylor warned that “Government needs to be able to be much clearer, at a much earlier stage about its financial plans.” His evidence follows written evidence from Audit Scotland which said the Government’s costings were “likely to significantly understate” the range of costs associated with the bill.
Emma Congreve of the Fraser of Allander Institute said: “A large amount of money will need to be spent on the set-up of the National Care Service, which is what the Bill is about.
“And there’s a lot of uncertainty within that number, there’s a big range in terms of the recurring costs even once it’s been set up.”
Ralph Roberts, Chief Executive of NHS Borders questioned whether money should be put into organisation change rather than into staff costs. In his submission he said the current plans could be “a distraction”
