Scottish Labour MSP Carol Mochan, First Minister John Swinney and Tory MSP Miles Briggs.
By Bill Heaney
Hospice care costs are increasing swiftly and and employees are concerned that their pasy should stay on par with NHS staff, the Scottish Parliament was told this week.
Scottish Labour MSP Carol Mochan asked First Minister John Swinney what action the Scottish Government is taking in response to the reported rise in hospice care costs, including to ensure that employees in that sector have pay parity with NHS staff.
Mr Swinney told MSPs: “Independent hospices are highly valued and provide vital support to people and their families, as well as supporting other local health and social care services and teams delivering palliative care.
“I understand the pressures that hospices are currently facing, and the Scottish Government strives to support independent hospices where possible.
“There has been engagement and dialogue with the hospice sector, and the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health is meeting Hospice UK and the chair of the Scottish hospice leadership group next week to discuss support options in more detail.”
Carol Mochan replied: “Given that hospice care is so valued, does the First Minister recognise that urgent action is needed? The sector is under serious financial constraints, with threats of closures.
“The Government must ensure that the hospice workforce does not conclude that it is undervalued and leave the sector. Hospices simply cannot take that impact. What action will the First Minister take today—right now—to reassure hospices and the workforce?”
The First Minister assured Ms Mochan: “Let me make it clear that I deeply value, and the Government deeply values, the work of the hospice sector. I understand the financial challenges that are faced because of the wider pay deals that are being put in place or consulted on in relation to the agenda for change, and that creates difficulties for the hospice sector.
“There is ministerial engagement to address those questions, and that will be taken forward as a consequence of the points that have been raised by Carol Mochan.”
Tory MSP Miles Briggs reminded MSPs: “In 2012, ministers put in place a chief executive letter for hospices across Scotland. That resulted in a welcome situation, with the Government and the hospices mutually agreeing a funding calculation of 50 per cent of agreed costs.
“Since the integration of health and social care, the letter is now not taken into account and that figure has collapsed to around 25 to 28 per cent of costs for hospices across Scotland. That needs to change.
“What future models of funding will the Scottish Government look at to ensure that we have a built-in mechanism to take into account the increased pay and additional costs that the whole hospice sector faces?
Mr Swinney replied: “Miles Briggs is correct that the arrangements that were previously in place were superseded by the introduction of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014.
“As a consequence of the act, it became the responsibility of integration joint boards to plan and resource adult palliative care services, including hospice services, for their area, based on local need.
“That is now the route by which the funding arrangements are resolved.
“We will continue to engage on these questions to determine what is the best approach to take to meet local needs, which will vary in different parts of the country. The minister’s meeting next week will provide us with the opportunity to reflect further on the questions.”
Top picture: The late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip met by St Margaret of Scotland Hospice CEO Sister Rita Dawson during a royal visit to West Dunbartonshire.
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Ya boo politics again. And what better question, and indeed important question to ask than is end of life care at risk.
Of course it is at risk, like so much else at risk.
Warm houses for old people are at risk. MSP Mochan knows that fine well as her Labour Party cut the heating subsidy.
Her party, and indeed the Tories know fine well that the privatised electricity and gas utility industries are making huge corporate profits whilst millions of household live in fuel poverty. Where’s the ya boo about that and especially so in a cold country like Scotland blessed or should I say awash with a surfeit of oil, gas, hydro and now renewable. And all the while they build interconnectors from the north of Scotland down south.
Of course Sir Keir Starmer is in hoc every bit as much to the corporate elites as was Boris Johnson.
That is why Jeremy Corbyn, who got a much bigger popular vote than Sir Keir Starmer was undermined.
Might be why Alex Salmond was too also undermined. Big picture stuff but it doesn’t stop the political pygmisies engaging in petty ya boo politicking.
Real change sadly would uplift the people, reduce elite corporate profits, and for that reason real change must be stopped.
So who chooses cold houses, an underfunded and soon to be privatised NHS?
Well, we do, we choose it.