Health Secretary agrees to visit Highland Hospice
The Health Secretary has agreed to visit Highland Hospice to learn more about how its End of Life Care Together partnership with NHS Highland is helping to deliver care for people at home and reduce delayed discharges from hospital.
Speaking during oral questions in the Scottish Parliament this week [8 September], Far North MSP David Green explained that “between May 2023 and September 2024, people supported by the partnership spent over 4,000 fewer days in hospital.”
The Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP added that Highland Hospice estimates its work has generated savings of £3.8 million, and that an investment of £1 million a year would enable the service to be delivered across the Highlands.
Mr Green urged the Cabinet Secretary to “examine the case for funding and visit Highland Hospice to see the partnership’s benefits first-hand.” In response, the Health Secretary accepted the invitation and acknowledged the importance of “dignity of care.”
Following the exchange, Mr Green said:
“Across Scotland, around 2,000 people are stuck in hospital every night because they don’t have a care package that would allow them to return home. That is putting a huge strain on our NHS.
“If we don’t fix the crisis in social care, we won’t fix the crisis in our NHS.
“I therefore welcome the Cabinet Secretary’s commitment to visiting Highland Hospice and seeing the excellent work it is doing first-hand.
“Investing in Highland Hospice is a compassionate choice that will help reduce delayed discharge, free up hospital capacity and ensure more people receive the care they want, where they want it.”
Kenny Steele, Chief Executive of Highland Hospice, said:
“I look forward to welcoming the Cabinet Secretary to Highland Hospice to discuss how we have been working, alongside partners, to shift palliative and end of life care from hospital to home.
“Since 2023, we have used charitable funding to pilot responsive home-based care for those at end of life, working alongside NHS Highland and our partners. This has allowed us to gather evidence showing that supporting people at home can improve the experience for patient and families while also reducing pressure on an already overstretched NHS.
“The challenge now is to build on what we have learned and make this model available to people across Highland. At present, the service is limited to Inverness, but with public investment we could extend this approach across the region, helping more people receive care in their preferred place while reducing avoidable hospital admissions and delayed discharges, at a lower cost than end-of-life care provided in hospital.”
ENDS.