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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 4 November 2024
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Displaying 954 contributions

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Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill (Stage 1 Timetable)

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Emma Harper

I have one final question on this wee section. Things such as the regional forums will help to identify the differences that you described, such as differences in pay. As a former nurse educator, I am interested in support for career pathways and career progression, and I think that a national standard approach would give more weight to career pathways for social workers and carers. Will the forums and the plans for regional approaches help to determine that a standardised approach to education will be part of the national aspect?

09:15  

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill (Stage 1 Timetable)

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Emma Harper

We need people to be empowered to understand that they will be part of the co-design process and that the bill is a framework that we will build on. Is that what we are asking people to believe and trust—that they will be part of the co-design?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill (Stage 1 Timetable)

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Emma Harper

When you made your opening statement, minister, you talked about the fact that you are a Highland MSP. The Highlands is a rural area. I am an MSP for South Scotland, which is also rural. There are complexities in designing impactful changes, so I am glad to hear about the processes that will be undertaken, especially those that will look at services.

In Dumfries and Galloway, there are no council-run care homes, but in the Borders, for instance, there is a mix of private and council-run care homes. Is that going to affect the work that is taken forward? Will that look at the fact that individual areas have specific needs?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill (Stage 1 Timetable)

Meeting date: 9 May 2023

Emma Harper

In its report on the bill, which I have in front of me, COSLA made a positive statement. It said that it recognised that a national care service in some form

“could provide national leadership on matters such as workforce planning, training, terms and conditions, national standards, ethical procurement, registration, inspection, and improvement.”

However, COSLA had concerns, and it asked for the bill to be amended. That means that you will need to work with COSLA and with the relevant representatives, as you have indicated. I just wanted to clarify that.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire)

Meeting date: 2 May 2023

Emma Harper

Jeff Ace talked about a Scotland-wide approach, with combined or joint services. Do you mean combined human resources as part of joint work and integration, or combined financial services? Is that something that could work for NHS Dumfries and Galloway, which is a small board, or does there need to be a Scotland-wide approach, as well?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire)

Meeting date: 2 May 2023

Emma Harper

I have a quick question for Jeff Ace about international recruitment. You have been quite successful in recruiting nurses. Not only a warm welcome, orientation and training are required; a wider holistic approach is required. Is housing a challenge in recruiting folk to remote or rural areas such as Dumfries and Galloway? If so, what can be done about that?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire)

Meeting date: 2 May 2023

Emma Harper

The recovery plan is a five-year plan; coming out of Covid is not an overnight fix. It will take time, and I know that as a nurse myself.

I am interested in the cancer diagnostics centres. One was created in Ayrshire and Arran, one in Fife and one in Dumfries and Galloway. Prevention and early diagnostics are happening in NHS Dumfries and Galloway, where there is a trial of self-sampling for cervical cancer diagnosis. Would Mr Ace like to comment on that?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Complex Mesh Surgical Service

Meeting date: 2 May 2023

Emma Harper

You have said that it is about a holistic approach. As I read the papers, I saw information about continuing feelings of being let down, of prolonged and continued anxiety and of disappointment, because the expectations were already low and they were not being met. It seems that there is also conveyance of lack of empathy for their experiences. It is almost like there needs to be a Maggie’s centre equivalent for people who have had mesh injuries. It is quite difficult to read some of what has been presented. How would you describe the holistic approach? I know that psychologists and clinical nurse specialists are involved. How would you see progress being taken forward based on feedback from surveys about people’s experiences?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire)

Meeting date: 2 May 2023

Emma Harper

I have a question for Jeff Ace, but before I ask it I remind everybody that I am a former NHS Dumfries and Galloway employee and was part of the Covid vaccination team as a nurse during the pandemic.

What particular changes have been made for service delivery? We met last Friday, as part of our normal updates. Parts of Dumfries and Galloway are really remote and rural, so one of the things that you talked about was the development of home teams. Will that help to manage the service in a better way—not necessarily to make savings, but to improve efficiency?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Complex Mesh Surgical Service

Meeting date: 2 May 2023

Emma Harper

Yes—I have a quick point. The deputy convener mentioned the Shouldice approach. A Shouldice repair has strict criteria such as losing weight, having no alcohol and being able to exercise. It might be difficult to apply that in Scotland, where people who present as needing an inguinal hernia repair that uses mesh, for instance, might have additional comorbidities. We cannae compare apples wi oranges.