Readers' Letters: Little hope care for dying will improve in Scotland soon

Your health correspondent Joseph Anderson explains in graphic detail just why future deaths, particularly from cancer, are highly likely to be anything but good (10 December). Reports, eventually forthcoming from the recently set-up Scottish Government Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy Steering Group, will no doubt echo the lengthy aims it is proposed to oversee the delivery of; but will anything practical ever result?

Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur meets Bake Off judge Prue Leith at an event in support of his Assisted Dying bill (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Should the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill ever become a statute, the already dire situation on the ground will be further exacerbated. While the care of the dying is significantly devolved to our wonderful charitable organisations, and under-resourced by the already overstretched NHS and ever-debilitated social services, more home deaths will certainly occur, but not for the right reasons. If current services are unable to provide good lives for the old and infirm at home, what hope is there of supporting good and dignified deaths in the same situation?

Dr S R Wild, Edinburgh

Covid battle

Martin Redfern bemoans people blaming Boris Johnson for “suffering and deaths in Scotland as a consequence of Covid” (Letters, 10 December). Westminster were calling the shots during the pandemic and the devolved nations were largely forced to fall in line. Look at Westminster’s failure to put in place a Scottish Government-style quarantine hotel system at airports to protect against new variants. Other countries like New Zealand implemented a border quarantine system and life largely carried on as normal. The UK parliament, concerned for the economy, failed to agree to this.

Mr Redfern cites the 18,000 deaths in Scotland, but this as a proportion of UK deaths is slightly less than Scotland’s population share of 8 per cent. When it comes to handling the pandemic, Nicola Sturgeon was streets ahead of Johnson in her communication style and in following a scientific, evidence-based approach. Johnson’s advisers say that was not always the case in England with Sir Patrick Vallance declaring he “flip flopped” and was prepared to let the elderly die to protect the young and the economy.

Sturgeon’s handling of the pandemic had its faults, particularly the discharge of Covid-positive patients into care homes, but the UK Government arguably put the economy before lives.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Wasted money

So one in four Scottish councils fear bankruptcy. All councils had planned to raise council tax in an attempt to stave off financial catastrophe – until Humza Yousaf suddenly decided, apparently unilaterally, to freeze it. He promises the freeze will be fully funded from Scottish central government, yet Finance Secretary Shona Robison faces a £1 billion black hole, after the SNP has spent years handing out populist universal benefits rather than targeting according to need.

Of course, the nationalists won't admit responsibility, they never do – they'll blame Westminster, despite the UK government having just provided an additional £525 million to Scottish coffers.

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Roxburghshire

Tongue lashing?

The Scottish Languages Bill introduced in Holyrood will give legal recognition of the Scots language for the first time as well as expanding provision for Gaelic. Will there be a significantly quicker call-out time if I dial 999 and ask for the “poileas alba”, “ambaileans” or “briogàd-smàlaidh” in an emergency?

David Bone, Girvan, South Ayrshire

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