Thousands of people from across Scotland have made their voices heard by writing to their local MSPs to add their support to Scottish Hospices as they face a £25million funding black hole.

In less than a week almost 5,000 members of the public from across the country have sent a letter to their local MSPs asking their elected representatives to support hospices ahead of the Scottish budget on 4 December. The public outcry has led one MSP to formally ask the Scottish Government to ‘propose the scheduling of time for a ministerial statement on funding for hospice care, in light of reports of thousands of emails received by MSPs’.

This unprecedented move by the Scottish Hospices to ask the public to support them in this way follows years of underfunding by Scottish Government and now with rising costs including the cost of matching NHS pay awards and the increase in employers’ National Insurance, the sector is facing a £25million budget black hole. The public support for hospices was also backed by 33 cross party MSPs who added their signatures to an open letter from Miles Briggs MSP calling on the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to urgently support critical funding for hospices.

Jackie Stone, Chief Executive of St Columba’s Hospice Care in Edinburgh, said: “The overwhelming response from the public highlights just how essential hospice care is to communities across Scotland. Almost 5,000 people have taken action in less than a week, urging their MSPs to address the funding crisis that threatens the future of our services. This level of support demonstrates that hospice care is not just a priority for those who rely on it today, but for everyone who values compassionate, dignified end-of-life care.

“We are deeply grateful to the thousands of individuals and the cross-party MSPs who have joined us in calling for urgent government action. Scottish hospices are at a tipping point; without sustainable funding, we cannot continue to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our society. We urge the Scottish Government to take immediate steps to address this crisis, support pay parity with the NHS, and move towards a fair and sustainable funding model, so that hospices across Scotland can continue to deliver the vital care so many rely on.”

The number of people needing palliative care in Scotland is predicted to increase by over 17% in the next 25 years and the care they need will be more complex, adding to the pressure on an already overstretched NHS. The cost to health and social care services of caring for people in the last year of life is huge, with unscheduled care alone already costing the NHS in Scotland nearly £190 million a year.

People can help support their local hospice by writing to their MSPs here https://action.hospiceuk.org/stand-up-for-scottish-hospices