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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 25 November 2024
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Displaying 986 contributions

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Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Programme for Government 2023-24

Meeting date: 12 September 2023

Emma Harper

One of our themes is how we tackle obesity. I am interested in the issue and have recently asked questions in the chamber regarding ultraprocessed foods and high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt foods. Carlos Monteiro, who is a professor of nutrition and public health in Brazil, has done some great research, and books by Chris Van Tulleken and Henry Dimbleby that talk about ultraprocessed foods have recently been popular. How can we understand more about the relationships between foods, and not just their sugar and fat content? This question is for the minister, because it is in the public health portfolio. I am interested in the powers that are available to us in Scotland in regulation of marketing and sales of those types of foods? Can you give us an update on work that is being taken forward?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Programme for Government 2023-24

Meeting date: 12 September 2023

Emma Harper

Finally, will the Scottish Government’s provision of free school meals for primary-school age children, which it is expanding, help to tackle what is being called an environment of “commerciogenic malnutrition”, because of the way in which big manufacturers are targeting unhealthy choices at young folk? Will widening of access to free school meals by the Scottish Government help to address some of the issues with overweight young people?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Programme for Government 2023-24

Meeting date: 12 September 2023

Emma Harper

I have a final, quick question. You will obviously be aware of the issue around midwifery in Dumfries and Galloway. Will the rural and remote healthcare centre include midwifery approaches?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Programme for Government 2023-24

Meeting date: 12 September 2023

Emma Harper

My question is on the Scottish graduate entry medicine programme, which has been really successful in Dumfries and Galloway. My understanding is that retention there has been fab. Cabinet secretary, is ScotGEM unique to Scotland? I know that there are general practitioner issues across the four United Kingdom nations. Are you aware of whether the other nations are considering a ScotGEM-equivalent programme? Scotland leads the way on the matter.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Programme for Government 2023-24

Meeting date: 12 September 2023

Emma Harper

Our briefing papers talk about the “cost of obesity”. I know that the language is changing around that and that rather than labelling someone as having a disease we are now using less stigmatising language and saying that they are a person who is

“living with overweight or obesity”.

Should we be thinking about that and ensuring that people understand that we should not blame people for something that might be not their fault but could be because of issues to do with poverty and access to fruit and vegetables in neighbourhoods where local shops do not have such food. What work is being done to destigmatise the language around obesity so that we can support people in food choices and in access to food?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Programme for Government 2023-24

Meeting date: 12 September 2023

Emma Harper

Before I ask my question, I note that I was one of those social care workers who worked in a care home and then progressed to doing nursing training. I became a nurse and was one for 30 years. We should absolutely pursue opportunities for career progression.

The aim of the national care service is to take a standard national approach to the provision of education for care givers. Is that something that we will see as we progress the service so that it doesnae matter where someone is in the country because everyone will be provided with the same level of education, which will allow people to be more mobile in their career pathways?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Programme for Government 2023-24

Meeting date: 12 September 2023

Emma Harper

Good morning to youse all. I have a quick supplementary. I was reading about long Covid on NHS Inform. There are 16 different languages for people who might need support. Might the Government consider ensuring that people of different ethnicities and languages know that that is available by using social media or whatever?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Programme for Government 2023-24

Meeting date: 12 September 2023

Emma Harper

In the programme for government, there was an announcement about the reopening of the independent living fund. Are you able to speak a wee bit about that?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Winter Planning 2023-24

Meeting date: 5 September 2023

Emma Harper

I am interested in the national treatment centres in relation to winter planning. Pamela Milliken mentioned that, after people fall on ice, they occupy an emergency orthopaedic bed space. The national treatment centres are intended to keep bed spaces sequestered for elective approaches. The NHS Golden Jubilee National Hospital site has the national eye centre, and Fife has the orthopaedic centre. Will such centres help with planning organised approaches to beds in secondary care?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Winter Planning 2023-24

Meeting date: 5 September 2023

Emma Harper

Good morning to panel number 2. I will pick up on what John Burns said about national treatment centres. Pamela Milliken, who was on the previous panel, said that winter planning includes having to think about slips and trips on ice, which can lead to orthopaedic injuries for which people need emergency surgery. However, the national treatment centres are for elective approaches, such as tackling ophthalmic or orthopaedic issues and performing upper gastrointestinal endoscopies.

John-Paul Loughrey, who was on the previous panel, said that staffing those centres would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul. However, my understanding is that our First Minister, when he was Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said that 1,500 additional staff would be used for the centres. Can you give us an update on whether we will be robbing Peter to pay Paul? What is the status of the recruitment of new staff for the centres?