Members' Business — S6M-09975 Bob Doris: 75 Years of Marie Curie

That the Parliament congratulates Marie Curie on its 75th anniversary; recognises that, since its inception in 1948, Marie Curie has provided palliative and end of life care and support to millions of people affected by terminal illness and those dealing with dying, death, and bereavement across the UK; understands that Marie Curie works closely with NHS Scotland and is the largest provider of palliative care services for adults outside the NHS; believes that access to appropriate palliative care services is a key element of ensuring the best possible end of life experience; welcomes what it sees as the invaluable contribution of the Marie Curie nursing and volunteer services and its two hospices in Edinburgh and Glasgow; commends its most recent report, How Many People Need Palliative Care?, which was published on 6 July 2023 and maps palliative care need across the UK into the late 2040s; understands that, according to the report, palliative care need will increase by more than 25% across the UK by 2048; notes its prediction that the number of 85 year olds living in Scotland will increase by 90% by 2048 to 257,000; considers that, while welcome, this presents a challenge to palliative care services as the number of people with comorbidities in need of complex person-centred care and pain management at the end of life will also increase; understands that Marie Curie is the largest charitable funder of palliative and end of life research; commends the work of all at Marie Curie, including its clinical staff, support services and volunteer helper services, who work to ensure that everyone has the best possible end of life experience, and looks forward to further developing Scotland’s public policy and delivery framework to most effectively meet that goal.