THE head of Scotland’s Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice Rhona Baillie said she agreed with the British Medical Association (BMA) that people should be treated as individuals in end-of-life care.
She said: “We understand that open communication is the only way to offer respect for patient choice, creating a gold-star level of care that is personalised to meet the needs of every patient.
“We firmly agree with the BMA that people should be treated as individuals. Palliative care is highly specialised and we believe that all patients and their families should have access to compassionate, supportive end-of-life care.”
One patient who uses the Glasgow hospice’s day care service, Roger Hynd, 73, from Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, is a former Rangers and Crystal Palace player who is also the nephew of legendary Liverpool FC manager Bill Shankly.
He said: “This hospice is a special place. I have found it very helpful, it’s a very safe place.”
As well as getting help and advice from medical staff, Roger has had access to a number of alternative therapies and has been involved in the hospice’s creative writing class because he wanted to write his obituary so he could pass on to his children and grandchildren the story of their family.
He said: “I wanted to write down all the names and addresses of my family so they have a starting place. I wound up with about half a notebook. I found it emotive remembering things ... all the people you know and meet, friends I made at school and college, and friends I’ve kept through all of these years.
“There were a few times when I was in tears. But I’ve found that here tears don’t matter, they are almost expected and nobody thinks of it as embarrassment.”
Right-to-die campaigner Gordon Ross passes away from pneumonia at 67
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here