Chamber and committees

On that point, two years ago, a mapping exercise was carried out that showed that there was significant variation in palliative care services across Scotland. A key point for me is how we address such variation. That becomes really relevant in relation to health board reform, which we are discussing. It is about how we make sure that palliative care becomes a really important part of that process, and how we embed it nationally, given the variations across Scotland.

I think you are right in what you said about the shift, Helen. We have talked about various figures, but there is going to be a huge increase in the number of people wanting to die at home, so we have to build palliative care into our discussions about health board reform to make sure that it is an integral part of that, and not an afterthought. This is a really important point for me. Following discussions on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, everybody said that this needed to be looked at. We now have the opportunity to look at it; we cannot miss the opportunity to do so properly.

It is about how we make sure that palliative care is embedded in health service reform so that, regardless of where you live in Scotland, you get the service that you require.

We are coming to the end of the session, but I will tell you about a few takeaways. One is about equity of access and the other is joined-up services; they are both important.

Rami Okasha touched on the need for parity between the public sector and the voluntary sector. At the end of the previous session of Parliament, we said that we have to do more about palliative care, and this committee has now had to take a step back and ask, “Okay, how do we achieve that?”.

My main takeaway is that we have to get a statutory funding model in place, because it helps with planning, recruitment and training. We therefore need to ensure that the Scottish Government gets to that as soon as possible.

Pay parity is also important. I remember having discussions with Helen Malo and others about pay parity in health boards. IJBs top-slice the funding that comes in. Money might come in through the pay parity funding, but IJBs will top-slice the funding that goes to the hospices, which is an issue.

Fundamentally, if we truly believe in a palliative care system that works for Scotland, we need to ensure that we have a statutory funding model in place as soon as possible. I know that that is not simple, as Mark Hazelwood touched upon, but we need to recognise that and push the Government to ensure that that is in place soon as possible.

Thanks for that. It is clear that coaching and volunteer development are a major part of the issue.

This picks up on Adam Harley’s point. About 10 or 12 years ago, I was lucky enough to go on a study tour with the SFA on this very subject. We went to Holland, where we found that there was a regional approach, whereby the responsibilities of clubs and local authorities when it came to upkeep, maintenance, access to pitches and so on were clearly delineated. This is more of a comment than a question, but I certainly think that we need to look at a regional approach.

That was about 10 or 15 years ago, and there has not been a huge amount of progress in that regard. The complexity of the arrangements is a significant barrier to increasing participation. We have heard about the cost of private finance initiative schools. When the school is not open, the cost of using the facilities is prohibitive. You spoke about the need for a local and regional approach in the first instance. Do you see that developing into a national approach when it comes to how we fund that on an ongoing basis in future? That was a significant barrier 10 or 15 years ago, and it is still a significant barrier.

10:45

David Byrne, you mentioned your ambition to get to 1,000 members. Without your coaches, you will struggle to get to that level. From a grass-roots perspective, how do you see coaching development as part of the sports club itself?

My question picks up on Jack Middleton’s questions about legacy. Facilities were mentioned, but I am interested in the coaching aspect from the grass-roots and elite perspectives, which are different but can feed into each other. For me, the key thing about legacy is to ensure that people get involved at a grass-roots level and an elite level.

Professor McGillivray, will you share your thoughts on how we develop grass-roots activity as well as elite activity? I also invite comments from Gavin Macleod and Forbes Dunlop in relation to para sport and broader sportscotland discussions.

On that point, Forbes—and Gavin Macleod will probably say the same—it is important to see an increase in grass-roots coaching numbers, but it is really important that quality coaches are coming through at performance and elite levels. We need to improve grass-roots participation, but we must have the best qualified coaches so that performance athletes reach their best. On those two levels, what are the metrics? Has there been an increase between 2014 and now as part of the legacy that has been talked about?

On Monday, I was at a community skills event in East Lothian that Duncan Scott attended. It was absolutely fantastic.

Forbes Dunlop, you mentioned that, when they get to 15 or 16, a lot of girls drop out of sport, so can you say more about coaching pathways? There is maybe a gap between leaving sport and going on to do coaching. Is there a specific objective or priority in relation to getting girls to go down a coaching pathway at that early age, to make sure that they continue in the sport?

I just wanted to ask about facilities with regard to swimming and, in particular, athletics—cycling is slightly different, because people can just go out for a cycle and, at the elite level, there is the Chris Hoy velodrome.

Colin, what are your thoughts on investment in facilities for athletics? I know that people can take part in that sport in a number of ways, but, for performance at the elite level, investment will be needed in facilities and to have a decent level of track. What do you see happening in that respect in the next five, 10 or 15 years? That brings me back to the question that I asked Forbes Dunlop, who was on the previous panel, about whether we need a national strategy, particularly when it comes to athletics.

I directed the question at Colin Hutchison, but it is open to other witnesses on the panel, too.