Proposed Right to Palliative Care Bill: call for member input
- Area of Work: Policy and Research
- Type: News Item
- Published: 16th May 2024
The ALLIANCE are keen to hear our members views on the proposed Right to Palliative Care bill, which we view as part of the right to health.
Miles Briggs MSP has lodged a proposal with the Scottish Parliament for a Right to Palliative Care Bill. The Bill would create a definition of palliative care, that would then be used by bodies responsible for delivering health and social care services within their own strategies on palliative care. Everyone with a life shortening or terminal condition would have the right to palliative care. As part of the consultation, respondents are being asked about their views on the right to palliative care, what it should include, how it would be defined, and what they expect its impacts to be.
In our draft response, we:
- Support the principle of a right to palliative care, viewing it as a component of the overall right to health;
- Emphasise the importance of support that goes beyond just managing the direct symptoms and mental health challenges of life shortening and terminal conditions, and supports people to plan for their carers, families and friends after they die;
- Broadly agree that the World Health Organisation definition of palliative care be used as the basis for a legal definition, but with some changes to wording for accessibility and a more positive framing;
- Call for any right to palliative care to be underpinned by an effective complaints process for anyone who feels their rights have been breached, and by robust data gathering to identify gaps and challenges;
- and recommends that palliative care be treated as a positive investment, so that people can spend more time doing the things they love, with the people they love, as they approach the end of their life.
Our draft response is attached as a resource to the bottom of this page, and we would like to hear your views by Thursday 30 May. The form below is intended for members who would like to input short points. Any data you enter will only be used to inform our response, in line with the ALLIANCE’s privacy policy. If you have more detailed points you would like considered for inclusion, please email those directly to allan.faulds@alliance-scotland.org.uk
Proposed Right to Palliative Care Bill consultation
Let us know your views on the proposed Right to Palliative Care Bill
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