Chamber and committees

It is a quick question about financial planning. You talked about medication, which includes things such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring. I am a type 1 diabetic and have an insulin pump with continuous glucose monitoring; I have read that there is a 43 per cent reduction in the risk of fatal cardiovascular disease and a 29 per cent reduction in all-cause mortality when we use insulin via a pump. Therefore, we know that we can reduce complications by investing in pumps and such technology, but it costs more money. How do you plan that financially, and do we have a national map of CGM use in the various boards in order that we could see how they compare on complications reduction and roll-out of insulin pumps and CGM?

We have talked a little bit about Covid recovery, the challenges of performance in relation to pre-pandemic levels, and where we are currently. A lot of responses have touched on Covid. We absolutely cannot ignore Covid. We have just come through a pandemic, and we are still recovering. A lot of folk think that there will be an overnight fix, but there will not be.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts on the recent NHS overview audit, in which Audit Scotland stated:

“The Scottish Government did not engage fully with NHS boards on the preparation of the Recovery Plan”.

What do you think about that statement from Audit Scotland? Have you made changes to the recovery plan that adapt and evolve it, based on knowledge that we have learned from the pandemic?

Thank you.

Okay, thanks.

Curling is good for people who are in wheelchairs, too.

I have a final question. We will come on to the theme of children and young people later, but I am interested in evidence that we took last week. Basically, there was a plea for a review of the national performance framework in order for it to include specific outcomes related to the physical, mental and social benefits of sport and physical activity. Would the Government consider making a specific target for that as part of the national performance framework? Would that help us to refocus or focus further on the importance of physical activity and sport for physical and mental health and wellbeing?

What key things would you ask for that would really help to shorten the recovery period or to enhance recovery?

Good morning, Robin. I am interested in some of the key performance indicators that the State Hospitals Board for Scotland publishes. When I was on the health committee in the previous parliamentary session, we talked about patients being offered an annual physical health review. It looks as if the target is 90 per cent but that only 51.78 per cent is being achieved. What actions have been taken to address that specific key performance indicator in relation to the annual physical health review?

Do you measure the activity of individual patients in the state hospital?

I will be brief. I want to go back to what you said about induction, orientation and ways of welcoming, developing and retaining new staff. Previously, I was a clinical educator and I was responsible for developing and delivering an induction programme for all new staff. Do you get to work with other boards and see how they are delivering certain programmes? I am talking about training and induction not necessarily for mental health staff but for other practice, too, because it feels, sometimes, that the state hospital is quite separate. What do you think about connecting with other health boards?