The Future of Queen Margaret Hospice in Dunfermline

That the Parliament supports the provision of personalised end-of-life and palliative care in a place of the patients choosing; understands that, for an increasing number of patients, at home care is desirable when possible, but that it is not an option for everyone; believes that retaining a breadth of options for care delivery is key to delivering true patient choice; recognises that the hospice at ward 16 of Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, has, for many years, delivered vital and valued care to patients and their families from the city and across West Fife; understands that proposed changes to the delivery of palliative care in Fife include plans to permanently close the hospice; highlights what it sees as the strong community support for the retention of the hospice ward at Queen Margaret Hospital, including the support for a petition calling for its retention; notes that hospice care would remain at Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy, but believes that, for families in Dunfermline and West Fife, the additional time and cost of travel would put them under additional pressure during what it understands is a very difficult period; acknowledges what it sees as the ongoing challenges of staffing and resourcing health services, including meeting the reported increased demand for care at home; notes reports of local concern regarding a lack of full public consultation on the proposals; supports the continuation of specialised local provision of palliative care alongside an increase in home-based care across Fife, and calls for a halt to plans to permanently close the hospice.