Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care: Cross Party ParliamentaryGroup

CROSS-PARTY GROUP IN THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ON PALLIATIVE CARE

Note of meeting held on Thursday 12 November 2003

Committee Room 3 at Parliament Headquarters

George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

Present:
Michael McMahon, MSP, Hamilton North & Bellshill
Convener (chair)
Carolyn Leckie MSP, Central Scotland
Dr Jean Turner MSP, Strathkelvin & Bearsden
Norma McGeoch, PA to Dr Jean Turner
Wendy Arthur, Lothian University Hospitals Trust
Rev Stuart Coates, Association of Hospice & Palliative Care Chaplains
Dr Rosalie Dunn, Lanarkshire PCT
Dr Faith Gibson
Ian Gibson, Macmillan Cancer Relief
Anice Gillespie, South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust
Anna Grady, Marie Curie Cancer Care
Gordon Grey, Lothian NHS Board
Sarah Grotrian, Marie Curie Cancer Care
Elayne Harris, Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust
Gill Harley, CNS for Teenagers and Young People, LUHT
Catherine Jordan, Palliative Care OOH Team
Catherine Kelly, Lanarkshire PCT
Joan Munro, Chief Executive, Highland Hospice
Susan Munroe, Marie Curie Cancer Care
Paula McCormack, Highland Hospice
Dorothy McElroy, Ardgowan Hospice
Lorna McGoldrick, CHS, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Dr Jon Pritchard, Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust
Mairi Rodger, Argyll & Clyde Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Caroline Rose, Lothian University Hospitals Trust
Dr Catriona Ross, St Andrew's Hospice
Oliver Shipp, SCAN
Robert Shorter, NHS Lanarkshire
Colette Todd, GP, Tribunal Appeal Service
Jane Todd, Head of Scottish Affairs, GMC Scotland

In Attendance:
Pauline Britton, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care
:Rhona Baillie, East Kilbride / Hamilton Palliative Home Care Service
Louise Carter, Intern, Scottish Parliament
George Lindsay, Chief Pharmacist, NHS Lanarkshire
Brigid May, The Haven Cancer Information Project, Blantyre
Patricia Wallace, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care

Apologies:
Dennis Canavan MSP, Falkirk West, Vice-Convener
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton MSP, Lothians
Nanette Milne MSP, North East Scotland
Aileen Anderson, Ayrshire Hospice
Dr Rosaleen Beattie, Medical Director, St Margaret's Hospice
Dr Fred Benton, Medical Director, St Columba's Hospice
Frank Clark CBE, Strathcarron Hospice
Elizabeth Carrol,l West of Scotland MCN for Palliative Care
Linda Cliff, Shetland NHS Board
Elizabeth Daniels, Yorkhill NHS Trust
Margaret Dunbar, St Columba's Hospice
Graeme Giles, Strathcarron Hospice
Brendan Gill, Lanarkshire NHS Board
May Grafen, West Lothian Healthcare Trust
Gillian Hailstones Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice
Wilma Halley, Highland Primary Care Trust
Linda Kerr, Ayrshire & Arran Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Iain Laidlaw, Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice
Dr Martin Leiper, Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust
Duncan MacDonald, Ardgowan Hospice
Sheila McGettrick, Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice
Marie McGill, Scottish Huntington's Association
Claire Murphy, St Margaret's Hospice
Jane Neilly, Ayrshire & Arran PCT
James Rodgers, NHS Borders
Kate Seymour, Macmillan Cancer Research
Morag Sinclair, South Glasgow University Hospitals Trust
Craig Stockton, Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association
Annette Thompson, Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Primary Care NHS Trust
Jenny Wheelan, CancerBACUP

1. Welcome & Apologies:
Michael McMahon welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Apologies are listed above.

2. Minute of last meeting:
The minute of the meeting of 11 June 2003 was adopted as a true record.

3. Matters arising:
3.1 Membership and Registration (Item 1)
It was reported that the Cross Party Group for Palliative Care in the Scottish Parliament had met the criteria for the code of conduct of the Standards Committee and had been officially registered on 4 August 2003. There had been some difficulty beforehand in securing the appropriate MSP ratios set down by the Standards Committee but this had now been resolved. The Cross-Party Group on Palliative Care had now a total of ten MSP and 49 non-MSP members.

4. Exemption from prescription charges for palliative care patients
In response to the query from the Cross-Party Group, a letter had been received in March 2003 from Frank McAveety the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, stating that there were no plans to create an additional category of exemption to cover palliative care.

It was noted that the Scottish Executive was currently debating prescription charges along with other relevant issues and that there was therefore an opportunity now to take the issue of exemption from Prescription Charges for palliative care patients forward in Parliament, through motions, debates or bills.
The outcome of the debate would be awaited with interest.

It was also noted that the Welsh Assembly had voted in favour of free prescriptions.

ACTION: Agenda Item for next meeting

A question had been asked about the definition of chronic disease and it was noted that the Cross-Party Group on Chronic Pain would be taking this forward.

5. NHS Board Palliative Care Needs Assessments
The recommendation that had been outlined in the report Cancer for Scotland: Action for Change was for each NHS Board to produce a comprehensive needs assessment for palliative care.
The Partnership had carried out a very brief survey in June 2003 and had collated information on the current status of completion by each Board. From a total of 13 Health Boards, 11 responses had been received. Of the 11 Boards that replied, 8 had completed or were in the final stages of completing their palliative care needs assessment.

Palliative care needs assessments had been discussed at the last Scottish Cancer Group meeting when it had been agreed that NHS Boards would report to their appropriate Regional Cancer Advisory Groups on progress.

6. Presentation and Discussion: "Examples of developing good practice in delivering palliative care at home"

Rhona Baillie, Home Care Sister, East Kilbride / Hamilton Palliative Home Care Service
George Lindsay, Chief Pharmacist, Lanarkshire NHS Primary Care Trust
Sister Brigid May,The Haven Cancer Information Project, Blantyre Health Centre

Outlines of these presentations are attached as

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Notes from the discussion are attached as Appendix 4.

Michael thanked Rhona, George and Brigid for their very interesting and informative presentations and for facilitating the question and answer session that followed.

7. Any other competent business
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 7.10 p.m.

8. Date of next meeting
A joint meeting between the Cross-Party Group for Palliative Care in the Scottish Parliament and the Cross-Party Group for Cancer in the Scottish Parliament had been proposed for Wednesday 21 January 2004 at 5.45 p.m.

This would be confirmed as soon as possible with Kenneth Macintosh MSP (Joint Convener of the Cross-Party Group for Cancer) and the Partnership would then notify members of the Cross-Party group.

CROSS-PARTY GROUP IN THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ON PALLIATIVE CARE Note of meeting held on Thursday 12 November 2003 Committee Room 3 at Parliament Headquarters George IV Bridge, Edinburgh Present: Michael McMahon, MSP, Hamilton North & Bellshill Convener (chair) Carolyn Leckie MSP, Central Scotland Dr Jean Turner MSP, Strathkelvin & Bearsden Norma McGeoch, PA to Dr Jean Turner Wendy Arthur, Lothian University Hospitals Trust Rev Stuart Coates, Association of Hospice & Palliative Care Chaplains Dr Rosalie Dunn, Lanarkshire PCT Dr Faith Gibson Ian Gibson, Macmillan Cancer Relief Anice Gillespie, South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust Anna Grady, Marie Curie Cancer Care Gordon Grey, Lothian NHS Board Sarah Grotrian, Marie Curie Cancer Care Elayne Harris, Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust Gill Harley, CNS for Teenagers and Young People, LUHT Catherine Jordan, Palliative Care OOH Team Catherine Kelly, Lanarkshire PCT Joan Munro, Chief Executive, Highland Hospice Susan Munroe, Marie Curie Cancer Care Paula McCormack, Highland Hospice Dorothy McElroy, Ardgowan Hospice Lorna McGoldrick, CHS, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh Dr Jon Pritchard, Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust Mairi Rodger, Argyll & Clyde Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Caroline Rose, Lothian University Hospitals Trust Dr Catriona Ross, St Andrew's Hospice Oliver Shipp, SCAN Robert Shorter, NHS Lanarkshire Colette Todd, GP, Tribunal Appeal Service Jane Todd, Head of Scottish Affairs, GMC Scotland In Attendance: Pauline Britton, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care :Rhona Baillie, East Kilbride / Hamilton Palliative Home Care Service Louise Carter, Intern, Scottish Parliament George Lindsay, Chief Pharmacist, NHS Lanarkshire Brigid May, The Haven Cancer Information Project, Blantyre Patricia Wallace, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care Apologies: Dennis Canavan MSP, Falkirk West, Vice-Convener Lord James Douglas-Hamilton MSP, Lothians Nanette Milne MSP, North East Scotland Aileen Anderson, Ayrshire Hospice Dr Rosaleen Beattie, Medical Director, St Margaret's Hospice Dr Fred Benton, Medical Director, St Columba's Hospice Frank Clark CBE, Strathcarron Hospice Elizabeth Carrol,l West of Scotland MCN for Palliative Care Linda Cliff, Shetland NHS Board Elizabeth Daniels, Yorkhill NHS Trust Margaret Dunbar, St Columba's Hospice Graeme Giles, Strathcarron Hospice Brendan Gill, Lanarkshire NHS Board May Grafen, West Lothian Healthcare Trust Gillian Hailstones Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice Wilma Halley, Highland Primary Care Trust Linda Kerr, Ayrshire & Arran Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Iain Laidlaw, Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice Dr Martin Leiper, Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust Duncan MacDonald, Ardgowan Hospice Sheila McGettrick, Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice Marie McGill, Scottish Huntington's Association Claire Murphy, St Margaret's Hospice Jane Neilly, Ayrshire & Arran PCT James Rodgers, NHS Borders Kate Seymour, Macmillan Cancer Research Morag Sinclair, South Glasgow University Hospitals Trust Craig Stockton, Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association Annette Thompson, Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Primary Care NHS Trust Jenny Wheelan, CancerBACUP 1. Welcome & Apologies: Michael McMahon welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies are listed above. 2. Minute of last meeting: The minute of the meeting of 11 June 2003 was adopted as a true record. 3. Matters arising: 3.1 Membership and Registration (Item 1) It was reported that the Cross Party Group for Palliative Care in the Scottish Parliament had met the criteria for the code of conduct of the Standards Committee and had been officially registered on 4 August 2003. There had been some difficulty beforehand in securing the appropriate MSP ratios set down by the Standards Committee but this had now been resolved. The Cross-Party Group on Palliative Care had now a total of ten MSP and 49 non-MSP members. 4. Exemption from prescription charges for palliative care patients In response to the query from the Cross-Party Group, a letter had been received in March 2003 from Frank McAveety the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, stating that there were no plans to create an additional category of exemption to cover palliative care. It was noted that the Scottish Executive was currently debating prescription charges along with other relevant issues and that there was therefore an opportunity now to take the issue of exemption from Prescription Charges for palliative care patients forward in Parliament, through motions, debates or bills. The outcome of the debate would be awaited with interest. It was also noted that the Welsh Assembly had voted in favour of free prescriptions. ACTION: Agenda Item for next meeting A question had been asked about the definition of chronic disease and it was noted that the Cross-Party Group on Chronic Pain would be taking this forward. 5. NHS Board Palliative Care Needs Assessments The recommendation that had been outlined in the report Cancer for Scotland: Action for Change was for each NHS Board to produce a comprehensive needs assessment for palliative care. The Partnership had carried out a very brief survey in June 2003 and had collated information on the current status of completion by each Board. From a total of 13 Health Boards, 11 responses had been received. Of the 11 Boards that replied, 8 had completed or were in the final stages of completing their palliative care needs assessment. Palliative care needs assessments had been discussed at the last Scottish Cancer Group meeting when it had been agreed that NHS Boards would report to their appropriate Regional Cancer Advisory Groups on progress. 6. Presentation and Discussion: "Examples of developing good practice in delivering palliative care at home" Rhona Baillie, Home Care Sister, East Kilbride / Hamilton Palliative Home Care Service George Lindsay, Chief Pharmacist, Lanarkshire NHS Primary Care Trust Sister Brigid May,The Haven Cancer Information Project, Blantyre Health Centre Outlines of these presentations are attached as Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Notes from the discussion are attached as Appendix 4. Michael thanked Rhona, George and Brigid for their very interesting and informative presentations and for facilitating the question and answer session that followed. 7. Any other competent business There being no further business, the meeting closed at 7.10 p.m. 8. Date of next meeting A joint meeting between the Cross-Party Group for Palliative Care in the Scottish Parliament and the Cross-Party Group for Cancer in the Scottish Parliament had been proposed for Wednesday 21 January 2004 at 5.45 p.m. This would be confirmed as soon as possible with Kenneth Macintosh MSP (Joint Convener of the Cross-Party Group for Cancer) and the Partnership would then notify members of the Cross-Party group.

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