Chamber and committees

Gillian Mackay raised the fundamental issue of trust. Although we would all welcome the mesh service that has been set up in Scotland, there is almost a perception that it could be a gatekeeper to the services that are available, and that there is somehow a hierarchy of choice, with the Scottish mesh service being the first port of call, followed by the Spire mesh service with Professor Hashim and then Dr Veronikis in the US. Can you clarify absolutely whether, if a woman wishes to receive treatment privately, that will be supported from the outset, or whether she will have to go through that hierarchy?

Thank you.

Is the delay the responsibility of the referring health board? It sounds as if referrals are made but there is pressure on your service that prevents you from seeing people as quickly as you would like.

That is helpful and clear.

I would like to ask a question that is not directly linked to the bill but is about a matter of concern that we have heard about and discussed this morning. It has been raised by the women who are affected and relates to waiting times. We heard that 20 women were waiting for surgery. Dr Jamieson rightly pointed out that it was unlikely that the 12-week treatment time guarantee would be fulfilled. For reasons of elective surgery being cancelled because of Covid, that is perfectly understandable.

There are 64 women who have been reviewed, but the suspicion is that many more have been referred—we do not know how many and I would welcome it if the figures were provided for that—and some are waiting for up to two years. I will read you a couple of quotes. One woman said:

“Just had a letter today from my gynaecologist in Paisley that it’s taking two years for referral to the Mesh Service”,

which is part of the same health board. Another comment that was made was:

“I had an MRI in September which showed inflammation around mesh. I was told they would send me an appointment to discuss it with the Mesh Service. My initial appointment is July 2022, ten months after the MRI.”

What can you do to improve those waiting times? I am sure that you agree that those women have waited long enough.

Is 12 July quite an arbitrary date? Equally, could another date be picked?

You are suggesting that it will not be long, but we are all aware that winter pressures are coming. Would not it be more realistic to plan on the basis that it will not be until after the winter that you will be back doing full surgery on the 20 mesh women?

Thank you very much, convener. I thank committee members for their time this morning.

The pandemic has touched everybody in Scotland, but, unfortunately, its impact on some people still lingers and has quite serious consequences. A number of MSPs were asked by Long Covid Scotland, which represents ordinary people across Scotland who are still suffering from the after-effects of Covid, to set up a cross-party group. It asked us to do so in order to bring focus to the issue, to highlight and recognise the problems that are being experienced, to ensure that there is appropriate service provision, to try to influence the policy that is emerging from the Scottish Government and to bring to the Parliament the lived experience of people who are suffering from long Covid.

I have had discussions with colleagues, and we have set up the cross-party group. We hope that the committee will support us.

That is right. We like to be very inclusive and to work across parties. We share the responsibility, because I think that it reflects well on the Parliament that we can operate in that way.

I agree with what you have said. Given that that is such a core part of the group, it is not a single objective. The group is serviced by Long Covid Scotland, which brings those voices into the Parliament. Even as we speak, the cross-party group and I are negotiating with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to ensure that lived experience feeds through into Government policy. We see the group very much as a supporting vehicle to do that. People with lived experience are central to the cross-party group and to every agenda that we will have, and we will certainly promote that work. I am happy to reassure Bob Doris that that is the case.

Long Covid Scotland represents hundreds upon hundreds of long Covid sufferers in Scotland, but it is not our only member organisation. A variety of organisations, including Long Covid Kids, are very active in this space. They will bring their knowledge directly to the Parliament and to the cross-party group, and they are also willing to share their knowledge with the Government. If you have listened to anyone who is involved describing their experiences, you will know that what they say is hugely powerful. Those experiences will be very welcome for policy makers across Scotland in considering how we ensure that people with long Covid are catered for within myriad complex systems in our public services and are assisted in their journey to recovery.