Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government sympathises with anyone who has suffered complications after receiving a mesh implant. It is imperative that any such patient receives the follow-up care they need, and that is why the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland continue to develop pathways of care and have taken steps to improve the availability of information for those affected.

The Scottish Government is supportive of all those individuals wishing to claim DWP benefits, including as a result of complications following mesh surgery. I therefore welcome the Under Secretary of State's decision to write to the DWP, and I can confirm that I also plan to do so. Subject to eligibility checks, any individual, including those women who have suffered as a result of having mesh implants, may make a claim to any benefit at any time, including those benefits classed as ‘disability benefits’, including PIP. When determining any claim, all cases are considered on their individual merits and any assessment should be based upon a functional, rather than a medical, assessment. In reaching a decision on entitlement, assessors and decision makers must consider how an individual’s condition affects them on a daily basis, rather than solely on the condition itself and, in the case of women who have had transvaginal implants, the severity of their injuries.

Given the concerns associated with the use of transvaginal mesh, the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that information about symptoms and different options for care is available, both to patients and to healthcare professionals. However, the Scottish Government believes that writing to all women who have received a transvaginal mesh implant would lead to unnecessary anxiety amongst those who have not experienced symptoms associated with complications.

Taking account of advice received from a number of professionals, the Scottish Government believes the most effective way to help any women with concerns is to ensure that clear, easily accessible information is available in the public domain, and to ensure that those women who seek help receive consistent care, regardless of where they live. Health Boards therefore continue to work together, both to improve and to standardise pathways of care, taking into account evidence provided by the Transvaginal Mesh Implants Oversight Group. Furthermore, the Scottish Government – in conjunction with other stakeholders – has taken steps to further improve access to information, both for those affected, and for the healthcare professionals who care for them. This includes the provision of information on the NHS Inform website, which features a patient information leaflet, the continuation of the mesh helpline, and the promotion of a learning leaflet directed at GPs, the first point of contact for the majority of women experiencing complications.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to commission an audit of CAMHS services.

Audit Scotland are carrying out an audit of children and young people’s mental health services which will be published in Autumn 2018. The audit will look at provision of services across all four tiers of CAMHS, including voluntary sector and private sector services where relevant.

We have commissioned SAMH to undertake an audit of rejected referrals which will be published by the end of June 2018. SAMH will gather evidence from young people, their families and carers across the country to inform the approach to mental health services, and will make recommendations for improving the experience for children and young people who are referred to CAMHS. This work will also be informed by a statistical audit of CAMHS data to complete the picture of the current system, which will be taken forward by NHS Information Services Division.

I announced last week that an additional £50 million was being made available in 2018-19 to reduce the number of long waiters waiting for acute hospital care. £25 million of this funding will be targeted in a number of specialties including orthopaedics and diagnostic rests to help deliver swift treatment for patients.

General Practitioners can of course refer patients to any health board in the country, however, they are encouraged by their local health board to send patients to local hospitals - this is because any significant changes in referral patterns can have a significant impact on Boards planning of their local services.

I refer the Member to Answer Question S5W-16759.  The SPCB is currently in discussions with the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) regarding the consideration of changes to the access arrangements at the entrance to Queensberry House, including the introduction of additional dropped kerbs. 

I will give a commitment to ensure an update is provided to the Member on the outcome of these discussions once a response has been received from CEC.

Over the years the SPCB has carried out a number of audits and continuously gathers feedback from a range of visitors and groups on an on-going basis with a view to ensuring the accessibility of the building.  

An accessibility audit was conducted at the initiation phase of the Main Hall Exhibition space review in 2016. The project team included the recommendations from the audit in the design of the new Exhibition space. The space was made wheelchair friendly, included BSL content and included technology that considered the needs of people with visual impairments.  

The SPCB recently completed the Visit Scotland Accessibility Guide. This allows visitors to review all aspects of accessibility when preparing for a visit to the Scottish Parliament.  

In addition, the SPCB’s disability staff network ParliAble will support the development of policies and working practices that allow those with a disability to fulfil their potential. It will make recommendations to colleagues across the Parliament on improving access for disabled people at the Parliament building.

The SPCB is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for everybody who visits and works at the building and our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy states the Parliament’s commitment to being accessible and open to all.   The Scottish Parliament is a fully accessible building which has two entrances designated for wheelchair users, the main Canongate entrance for pass holders and the public entrance for non-pass holders. These entrances have been specifically designed to ensure step-free approaches to the building wide enough to facilitate easy access for wheelchair and mobility scooter users.   Responsibility of the paved areas around the Parliament rests with the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). We are currently in discussion with the Council regarding the consideration of changes to the access arrangements at the entrance to Queensberry House.

The information requested is provided in the following tables.

I recognise some patients in Lothian are experiencing long waits including in the specialty of orthopaedics, that is why I have made £50 million available to NHSScotland in 2017-18 - with up to £7.4 million being made available to Lothian. This additional funding is likely to be continued this year and will build up their capacity and make sure that all patients are seen and treated in a timely fashion.

The Board are also taking a number of actions to improve orthopaedic waiting times for patients this includes redesigning their Muscoloskeletal Allied Health Professional service to ensure that patients with foot and ankle and upper limb conditions are seen by the most appropriate healthcare professional in the right place in a more timely manner.

Number Of New Outpatients Waiting In NHS Lothian For Orthopaedics At 31 December 2017

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government believes that there is no place in Scotland for prejudice or discrimination including in the workplace. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly, regardless of their age, disability, gender, gender identity/reassignment, race, religion or sexual orientation.

The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and any reports of discrimination must be treated seriously by the employer.

I would encourage on-going dialogue between employers and unions as this is an important element of Fair Work. If parties decided a summit was appropriate then the Scottish Government would be supportive.

I can also confirm I have agreed to the TSSA's request to meet to discuss concerns regarding sexism in the workplace, this approach has been welcomed by TSSA.