3. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has put in place to support the palliative care sector, in light of reports that the number of people needing these services is estimated to rise by an additional 10,000 by 2040. (S6O-02206)

We are aware of Scottish research that shows a rise in the number of people with a palliative care need, and the Scottish Government is developing a new palliative and end-of-life care strategy to ensure that everyone who needs it can access seamless, timely and high-quality palliative care. We are considering the issues that Scottish hospices raised at their meeting in March with the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the then Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, which included funding and the long-term sustainability of the hospice sector.

Hospices will start closing if help cannot be sourced to match the national health service pay offer. Scottish charitable hospices need to find £15.5 million over the two years to 2024. The time for meetings and discussions is over. What can the Scottish Government do urgently to address the crisis in the palliative care sector?

I recognise the importance of palliative care and the importance more widely of the need for us to speak about the end-of-life stages that we go through. Last week, I was at “The Cost of Dying” photography exhibition in Glasgow, which I found incredibly important and thought provoking.

As Jeremy Balfour will know, the 2023-24 Scottish Government budget underlines our on-going commitment to prioritising investment in health and social care, in providing additional funding of £1 billion. However, I recognise that there are issues in the hospice sector, and I am working with officials to discuss them.

A major provider of palliative care in Scotland is our hospice network. St Margaret of Scotland Hospice, in my constituency, has contacted me regarding funding pressures. Will the minister meet me and representatives of the hospice to discuss those pressures and how we can assist hospices as we move forward?

I would be very happy to meet representatives of St Margaret of Scotland Hospice.