Chamber and committees

My question is about digital infrastructure across our NHS. GPs across Scotland have just been moved on to the Vision system, which helps them log cases, prescribe and so on. I recently met GPs in Bishopbriggs in my constituency who said that they have gone from seeing 14 patients per session to seeing seven, because the system is clunky and keeps crashing. Are you aware of the issues with the system? What will be done to sort that as soon as possible? Is the Government ambitious about harnessing some of the real benefits that could be achieved through the use of technology? As we know, there is huge potential for using technology in our NHS. Is the Government ambitious and open to that?

Thank you, convener, and thank you to all the witnesses for coming to see us. My question is for you, cabinet secretary. I quote the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which said this week:

“We are … now in a worse state than this time last year. … We once again call on the government to urgently send support our way in the form of improvements to the ‘back door’ of our hospitals. Lives are at stake, and without immediate intervention, emergency departments are at risk of collapse.”

What immediate support will the Government provide? As we look ahead to the budget, how will we ensure that that situation does not happen again next winter?

I have a brief follow-up question. Cabinet secretary, you have repeatedly said that the changes are not about centralisation—you just said that again. However, as part of the process of NHS reform, there will surely be some changes made to where power lies and where decisions are made. Is that not the case? For instance, would some decisions and powers not move to the ministerial level as a result of the changes?

The Government has already spent £220 million to improve flow but that has clearly not worked. Why is that and what will be different this time? Crucially, we know that a lot of the issues in delayed discharge link directly to social care—a lot of that is about attracting people into the profession and keeping them when they are there. What will the Government do to attract more staff to make social care a profession of choice again?

Cabinet secretary, earlier, you mentioned that the NHS in Scotland is staying more true to the principle of services being delivered free at the point of delivery than is the case with the NHS in other parts of the UK. You will be aware that many people are being forced to pay privately for treatment. For example, I have met constituents who have been forced to use their life savings to pay thousands of pounds for hip operations. Heather Anderson and I recently had a meeting in the Parliament with a group of women who had to pay privately for surgery for ovarian cancer. One woman had to pay £30,000, and she does not expect to be compensated. Are you and the Government aware of that dynamic? Do you think that the woman who had to pay £30,000 should be compensated? Will the Government look at that?

Thank you.

11:45

Mr Dunlop, you mentioned the good work that volunteers are doing. A lot of these services would not be provided without volunteers turning up to deliver them. I am thinking of some really good local grass-roots sporting clubs in my constituency, such as rugby and football clubs, which might, for example, rely on a volunteer coach working with a group of youngsters. However, people’s lives change and the coach might have to stop, perhaps at quite short notice, meaning that the team cannot continue for a while. Some people might then drift away from the sport and never come back. Is there an argument for funding more paid coaches? Would that represent a good investment in the budget?

My initial question is for Professor Feeley. It picks up on a couple of points that you made and brings them together a little. You spoke about the need to start from the front line, about the care that we want people on the front line to experience before we look at our structures, and also about finances.

How are we doing at the minute on gathering data and having information about what is happening? I am referring to data on the service that people are receiving, but also on where we need to spend more money and, when we do so, on how it should be spent. You also spoke a bit about the transparency of how public money is spent, but the overarching issues are how we gather data and information and how good we are at doing so. Do we need to do better?

Following on from that, when you were carrying out your review, did you identify specific practical barriers that prevented that from happening? To put the question more widely, to our other witnesses, are there examples from elsewhere of where we are a bit better at collecting data, or are these issues happening right across the United Kingdom and not just in Scotland?

Ms Payne, on your important point about trying to remove the party-political barriers to reform, it would be helpful to hear how we should balance the need for longer-term reform with the alarm bells that are ringing now in the NHS. People who are dealing with the emergency on the front line of the NHS feel that, if anything, they need more attention in order to deal with the current issues relating to corridor care and so on. Equally, we are dealing with those issues only because we have not addressed the need for reform, particularly the need for prevention, over the past few years. How do we find the right balance? I do not want to put you on the spot, Ms Payne—other witnesses might want to answer—but do you want to say anything about finding that balance?