Chamber and committees

Although it is not in my entry in the register of members’ interests, I should mention that I am a former complementary therapist and used hypnotherapy in a practice. I have not practised for a number of years but might well practice again in the future.

Convener, you highlighted in your opening remarks the evidence and feedback that we have received from stakeholders. Unfortunately, at the moment, there is a lack of quality evidence that would enable them to recommend hypnotherapy as a treatment on the NHS. The Scottish Government has also stated that it is up to individual NHS boards to decide which complementary therapies and alternative medicines they use.

On that basis, we will have to close the petition. However, I wonder whether the committee would support us writing to the Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to encourage them to undertake a review of scientific literature to help healthcare professionals and patients to understand the medical evidence relating to the use of hypnotherapy to treat mental health conditions, psychosomatic disorders and chronic pain.

The convener mentioned the cross-party group on chronic pain. A number of us will have anecdotal evidence of hypnotherapy being an effective treatment tool for people, so I think that the issue warrants a little more exploration.

That is absolutely correct. I am sure that, as individual MSPs, we will all be mindful of the matters that she has raised, too.