Chamber and committees

Let us go first to Annie Gunner Logan.

This evidence session is looking at planning for winter and how we can improve outcomes. I am the co-convener of a few cross-party groups on healthcare, including the one on health inequalities, and we know that we need to improve the outcomes for many people. Earlier, we heard from the minister, Maree Todd, about the women’s health plan. Do any of you have specific proposals for improving outcomes, not just for the winter but in the future?

I have a quick final supplementary question. Our notes have a question about food banks. I read the statistic that we have more than 91 independent food banks in Scotland, and we know that food-bank use has increased due to Covid. It is worrying that the issue persists. Will the bill have a strategy to end the need for food banks?

On NHS 24 referrals to the out-of-hours service and the impact on winter planning and capacity, is there a role for the Government, doctors and the bodies representing wider multidisciplinary teams in helping make the public aware of the solutions that need to be put in place to deal with capacity issues? Do we need to manage the public’s expectations better, especially with regard to all the different ways of referring people to services, whether they be GP out-of-hours services or emergency services? Perhaps Dr Buist can respond first of all.

My next question is about avoiding harm. The submission from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine states:

“The data show that for every 67 patients waiting 8-12 hours, one of them ... will come to avoidable harm.”

Obviously, we need to think about how that can be avoided. Data on each harm that occurs is required to be entered into a system so that it can be tracked. I think that it is the Datix system, which I know because I am a former nurse who used to enter adverse events into that system. How do we ensure that our GPs and our doctors have a wider ability to utilise the system to learn so that harm can be avoided in the future?

Cabinet secretary, in your opening comments, you talked about Polish Scots and Pakistani Scots. What work will be done to help to engage women whose first language is not English and who might have experienced complications from mesh implants?

The bill is about reimbursement for women who have already paid for surgery. You represent the specialist mesh centre in Greater Glasgow. I read that 20,000 women had mesh implants in Scotland in the past 20 years and that some 600 have suffered agonising or debilitating complications. Can you assure the women watching this meeting that the specialist mesh centre will take a clear, person-centred approach? That would address some of the issues. Jackie Baillie mentioned one woman whose appointment will not be until July 2022. Is there a way to expedite that, so that there will be a truly person-centred approach?

Good morning, cabinet secretary, and thank you for giving us your time this morning. Given that the bill is on cost reimbursement for mesh removal, I am interested in women who have been affected and have already paid for surgery. Would women who raised the money through a crowdfunding platform still qualify for reimbursement?

Are you saying that women would not be excluded if they had been partially funded through a crowdfunder but were able to supply evidence that they had paid for a flight or transport or whatever from their own means?

Good morning, everybody. I am interested in how the fact that the specialist mesh removal service exists has been communicated to the health boards. How do they know that it exists?