50/50 Scottish Government and Macmillan Cancer Support Funding

That the Parliament welcomes the joint announcement by the Scottish Government and Macmillan Cancer Support to invest £18 million to ensure that everyone diagnosed with cancer is offered a dedicated support worker; understands that the Scottish Government and Macmillan are each investing £9 million into the Transforming Cancer Care programme to make Scotland the first country in the UK to offer cancer patients guaranteed emotional, practical and financial advice; considers that this investment will mean cancer care teams in hospitals are able to focus solely on the provision of personalised medical care and support; notes that the programme will offer every newly diagnosed cancer patient in Scotland a support worker who will carry out an assessment to understand their needs before directing them to expert support, from benefits advice to counselling; recognises that the Transforming Cancer Care programme follows the success of Macmillan-funded projects over the last five years in several locations, including Glasgow, Dundee and Fife; believes that the programme will help fulfil the Scottish Government’s ambitions to ensure that everyone with cancer is offered a personal care plan and access to the support that they need, making it easier for people to continue their personal and professional lives for as long as possible while undergoing cancer treatment; supports the ambition to spread this offer of support across Scotland as quickly as possible, and welcomes the vision of the Scottish Government and Macmillan Cancer Support to offer support to every cancer patient in the country by 2023, which it understands would make Scotland the first country in the UK to fulfil its promise on personalised care.