Chamber and committees

On social security decisions, the minister will be aware that Tory and Labour Governments favoured private sector assessments that lined the pockets of the rich while letting disabled people down. Does the minister agree that that inhumane approach, which caused great misery, will have no part to play in our system in Scotland, which has dignity, fairness and respect at its heart?

I congratulate Clare Adamson for securing the debate. I know that she has a long-standing interest in the issue. I commend her initiative and her opening speech, which was made with compassion and real understanding of the issues.

It is important not only that we take the opportunity to recognise pancreatic cancer awareness month, but that we strive to improve the response to that dreadful disease. I will use the debate to ensure that the voices of some of my constituents who have been affected by pancreatic cancer are heard here. This is the 10th anniversary of pancreatic cancer awareness month, with world pancreatic cancer day being marked on Thursday.

More than 9,000 people die of the disease across the UK annually. Tragically, that is often within weeks of diagnosis. We need to raise awareness in order to save lives. Public awareness levels are really low: 52 per cent of the public know almost nothing about the disease and 73 per cent cannot name a single symptom. It has, mainly due to late diagnosis, the lowest survival rate of all the cancers.

A constituent of mine, Kayleigh Martin, contacted me to ask whether I would raise awareness of pancreatic cancer. It is an honour to do so in Parliament on her behalf. Kayleigh lost her mum, Helen Carson, to the disease in December 2020, only three months after diagnosis. Helen worked at the Scottish Trades Union Congress for 40 years—a job that she enjoyed very much. She was also a very proud Bankie, born and bred.

Kayleigh is pushing for better treatment nearer to people’s homes and increased awareness of the disease. She feels that the general public and health professionals need to be more aware of the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer in order to enable quicker diagnosis. Her experiences have also convinced her of the need for enhanced end-of-life care and support. Better communication and streamlined services are essential to those who are impacted to enable them to use the time that they have left to greater effect.

Helen attended the New Victoria hospital and the Glasgow royal infirmary for further investigations, which left her exhausted and fatigued. Helen’s disease was found to be so far advanced that treatment with chemotherapy was not an option. She felt that if information had been available to her sooner, that might have allowed her to spend more precious time with her family.

Another of my constituents, Kirsteen Smillie, also wants more awareness of this terrible disease, to which she lost her father, Donald Langan. Kirsteen’s dad had a bit longer with his family; he lived for a year and a half after being diagnosed. During those final months, he had chemotherapy, prior to extensive surgery, during which several of his major organs were removed. Unfortunately, when the cancer returned to his lungs, he lived only another nine days.

Kirsteen and her mum, Christine—Donald’s beloved wife—and their family continue to fundraise to help to raise awareness and to continue research into the terrible disease. Throughout November, they are taking part in Pancreatic Cancer UK’s “10,000 steps a day in November” challenge. I wish all the family the very best in their endeavours.

Those are the heartbreaking real-life experiences of some of my constituents, which highlight the importance of early diagnosis. We must ensure that compassionate care and support are there when people need them. As a member of the nursing team at St Margaret of Scotland Hospice, I saw at first hand how quickly patients deteriorate and die from pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, late diagnosis resulted in palliative and end-of-life care being the patients’ only options. I will never forget the impact that the cancer had on families, whose love, compassion and support were unwavering and selfless. That is reflected and recognised in the testimony that I have given on behalf of my constituents.

I welcome the debate and everything else that has been done to promote the importance of early diagnosis. I am humbled by the determination of my constituents to see more action on the matter. In memory of those who have lost their lives to this terrible disease, we must work together collectively in order to do all that we can to increase awareness of pancreatic cancer and aim for more positive outcomes.

That is disappointing to hear; I hope that we will get some positive engagement soon.

I welcome the efforts to get decisions right first time. However, at the end of the day, there are cases in which claimants are not happy with the final decision. What are we doing through the strategy to promote the right to request redeterminations and appeals?

As the minister will know, the introduction of the child disability payment has been piloted in three council areas—Dundee, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles. What lessons can be learned from the pilot and what number of claims are we talking about collectively from those areas? What source of supporting evidence will be used to assess those claims? I am aware that you might not have that information to hand and it is okay if you do not, but will you forward it on to me when you get it?

Good morning, minister; it is good to see you.

Unfortunately, access to many of the Scottish benefits is dependent on people’s being in receipt of reserved benefits. How has the UK Government responded to requests for a more unified and strategic approach to maximising take-up? If the response was disappointing, how do you intend to follow up on that?

I was just interested in hearing about other areas where there might be that kind of good practice.

The strategy aspires to reaching a position where people are automatically referred to Social Security Scotland when things happen to them that could make them eligible for benefits. How achievable is that aspiration, and how can we embed it in our approach to the public sector and other services that people access?

In Glasgow, a person who registers a birth is assisted in making a claim for a best start grant. Do you know of any other such examples of good practice elsewhere? Of course, you might not have that information to hand.

Thank you, minister. That is reassuring.

I have no further questions.

I want to highlight a good example from Glasgow, where people registering births are assisted in making best start grant claims. Are there any other examples of good practice elsewhere?