Almost half of over-50s in Scotland are not confident they will get the care they need towards the end of their life, according to a survey.
The majority of those concerned were wor"ped that busy hospital and care home staff did not have the time to care for people with terminal illnesses.
The YouGov survey for Marie Curie found that just 9% of over-50s surveyed felt very confident they would get the care they needed.
In total, 43% said they were not confident they would get the care they needed toward the end of their life.
A large ageing population, funding and pressure on care services were all issues raised by those surveyed.
Marie Curie said palliative care must be a high priority for health and social care boards.
Susan Lowes, policy and public affairs manager for the charity in Scotland, said: "This research paints a disturbing picture of overall confidence in end of life care in Scotland today.
"The Scottish Government's commitment to publishing a new Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care in Scotland cannot come soon enough.
"The next Scottish Government must ensure that everyone who needs this care has access to it, at least by the end of the next parliament in 2021.
"Everyone should have the right to palliative care and be able to live as well as they can until they die."
:: YouGov surveyed more than 1,000 adults in Scotland of whom 608 were over the age of 50.
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