Chamber and committees

Does anyone want to add to Rami Okasha’s answer? It was extremely comprehensive, and answered the two questions that I was going to ask next.

The next item on our agenda is to take evidence from two panels of witnesses as part of our scrutiny of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill at stage 1. We begin by hearing evidence from organisations representing the healthcare professions, in order to consider the impact on and implications of the bill for their members.

I welcome Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of the British Medical Association Scottish council; Fiona McIntyre, policy and practice lead, Scotland, at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society; Colin Poolman, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing Scotland; and Dr Chris Provan, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland.

We will move straight to questions, beginning with Carol Mochan.

I have a quick supplementary question, which is probably for Colin Poolman, so I place on record that I am currently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and have a bank nursing contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Colin, you spoke specifically about medical staff. Nursing staff play a huge role in multidisciplinary teams, particularly in inpatient settings, but also in community settings. What consideration has the Royal College of Nursing given to the involvement of nursing staff in those conversations?

Good morning to you, cabinet secretary, and to your officials. I put on record a declaration of interest, as I hold a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Thank you for the update that you provided in your letter to the committee about the stigma action plan and the on-going work to address and challenge stigma. Can you give us a bit more detail about that work, and perhaps set out some of the timescales for implementing the plan?

You will be aware that the three committees commissioned a people’s panel, which met last month, and some panel members were interested in the role that the media play in reinforcing stereotypes. I am interested, therefore, in hearing what other work, alongside the stigma action plan, is being carried out on that particular issue, which might in itself be a barrier to people accessing treatment and help.

I refer to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I have a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and I commissioned the Scott review when I was Minister for Mental Health.

I want to ask about learning disabilities. We know that learning disabilities are on a very broad spectrum, but we also know that many people with learning disabilities die a lot younger than the general population, and often of illnesses that would perhaps have been picked up earlier in other adults. Learning disabilities are one of the exclusions in the bill, so I am keen to hear, particularly from you, Professor McKay, because you raised the issue of capacity as opposed to diagnosis, what you think about that and how that could be addressed.

Good morning and welcome to our 31st meeting in 2024 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received no apologies for the meeting.

We will continue our scrutiny of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill at stage 1, so, under rule 12.2.3(a), Liam McArthur is attending the meeting as the member in charge of the bill. Welcome, Liam.

The first item on our agenda is to decide whether to take agenda item 4 in private and whether members agree to take equivalent items on future agendas in private. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

Following on from Mr Sweeney’s questions, I note that, under the bill as introduced, the two doctors that sign off capacity could be two foundation year 2 doctors. In your opinion, would they have the level of training and expertise to be able to do that?

I thank our witnesses for their attendance; you have been very helpful to the committee in our on-going scrutiny of the bill. Please feel free to leave while the committee’s work continues.

The next item on our agenda is consideration of a negative instrument. The purpose of the instrument is to amend the regulations on the NHS superannuation and pension schemes in Scotland. The instrument introduces legislative changes to the schemes, including retirement flexibilities, amendments to abatement rules and final pay controls, changes to the 2015 regulations regarding inflation and other miscellaneous amendments. The policy note states that

“the instrument also introduces a new employer contribution rate from 1 April 2024 and reforms the employee contribution rates in the NHSPS(S) in two phases from 1 October 2023 and 1 October 2024.”

The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee considered the instrument at its meeting on 5 November 2024 and made no recommendations in relation to it. No motion to annul has been received. I know that Sandesh Gulhane wishes to make some comments. Before I pass over to him, I put it on record that I am a contributor to an NHS superannuation and pension scheme.