Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - 
Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson was in Banff this week to show his support for the Daffodil Roadshow for Marie Curie Cancer Care as it continued its nationwide tour to raise awareness and support for terminally ill patients to be allowed the choice to die at home.
At the event, Mr Stevenson visited the Daffodil Roadshow exhibition trailer for a cup of tea and a chat with a Marie Curie nurse about the campaign Scotland Supporting the Choice to Die at Home and services provided by Marie Curie Cancer Care. The exhibition trailer, which has been designed to represent the comfort and familiarity of home, was the focal point of the roadshow which looked to encourage visitors to discuss home nursing as a choice for end of life care.
Commenting afterwards, Mr Stevenson said:
“I am very pleased to welcome the Daffodil Roadshow to my constituency and pledge my support for the campaign, Scotland Supporting the Choice to Die at Home. Currently 75 per cent of people, if diagnosed with a terminal illness would like to be cared for at home, according to research from Marie Curie Cancer Care. In reality, only 24 per cent of terminally ill people in Scotland actually die at home. I will urge my party to look into the possibility of diverting resources to enable terminally ill patients in Scotland to have the choice to die at home.”
The issue of choice of end of life care is becoming increasingly important as highlighted by research recently commissioned by Marie Curie Cancer Care. This showed that 77 per cent of people in Scotland know someone who has suffered from a terminal illness with 73 per cent of those interviewed feeling that government could do more to help fund care at home for those with a terminal illness, clearly demonstrating it as an issue that the Executive should be taking seriously.
Marie Curie Cancer Care aims to help all patients realise their wish to die at home by:
- Highlighting barriers which prevent people from dying at home
- Ensuring appropriate information is available to help people choose where they would like to die
- Seeking increased resources from the Scottish Executive
