On the 30^th and 31^st of May at the Glasgow SEC Exhibition Centre, Joe, our Community Fundraising Manager for Scotland, attended the country’s leading health event, the NHS Scotland Event.

Organised and delivered by NHS Scotland, the event is an opportunity for those working in and with NHS Scotland to come together to share ideas, best practice, and address some of the challenges faced by health and social care professionals and all of us who rely on their services.

That’s why the key theme of this year’s event was ‘working together to improve outcomes’. This refers, at least in part, to the integration of health and social care. A key area of development within the public services of Scotland. As more responsibilities are devolved to Holyrood these issues have gained greater prominence. As of April 2018, MSPs passed legislation to establish a devolved Scottish social security system including disability living allowance, personal independence payments and carer’s allowance.

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Delivering that system in concert with health care professionals is seen as critical to ensuring the health and well-being of patients and carers alike. With these issues in mind, it was positive for me to talk to Cancer Support Scotland. We were able to discuss some of the issues faced by cancer patients and those suffering from brain tumours.

As a result of this meeting, Brain Tumour Research literature will be made available at their Gartnavel Campus in Glasgow. We also discussed the possibility of organising a talk to their service users and staff about the world of research into brain tumours and what we’re doing to find a cure.

The keynote speaker on the 31^st was the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport Jeanne Freeman OBE MSP who commended NHS staff for their dedication and hard work delivering strong values-based care, and making Scotland “a world leader in patient safety”. The Cabinet Secretary’s speech was followed by a question and answer session facilitated by Professor Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director, Scottish Government. It was a deeply personal journey explored by Professor Leitch and the Cabinet Secretary but enlightening that Ms Freeman’s first career was as a nurse in Glasgow! 

It’s so valuable to attend events like these in Scotland. It means we can focus the minds of the people who are able to affect change on the issues brain tumour patients face. It also means we can stay on top of the latest developments and make sure those issues are represented.

Related reading:

• Two minutes with... Joe Woollcott - Community Fundraising Manager (Scotland)
• Quality of life for brain tumour patients