Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy
Health and Social Care Integration
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made regarding health and social care integration. (S4O-00399)
Good progress is being made regarding our plans for integrating health and social care. A series of engagement sessions with a wide range of stakeholders was held over the summer and autumn, which has provided valuable input to the development of our plans. Parliament will be informed in December of the Scottish Government’s proposals and there will be a public consultation on the detail of the proposals in 2012.
As the balance of care moves further towards supporting independent living for people for as long as possible and for as long as they wish in the community, housing issues must become more integrated into the strategy. Will the cabinet secretary give cognisance to the need to ensure that the housing aspect is more integrated into the strategy, including issues such as access to telecare technology and the adaptation of properties to make them easier to access?
Angus MacDonald is absolutely correct to raise that point, which was raised strongly by stakeholders during the engagement sessions in the summer. Rightly and understandably, we tend to concentrate on bringing together health and social care, but we must remember that, if older people are to be supported to live independently for as long as possible, that requires a wider range of services, and housing is absolutely at the heart of that. I give Angus MacDonald an assurance that we are very much taking that into account in deciding how to move forward with our plans.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that, whatever system is devised, there is a great need for increased democratic accountability at the front line of health and social care services and that at present that is not properly provided?
As the member knows, I am a great advocate of increased democratic accountability in the health service and I have moved to deliver that. Therefore, I agree that, as we bring together health and social care, democratic accountability at community level is extremely important. I assure Richard Simpson that the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, individual local authorities and other stakeholders are, as we would imagine, very clear about the importance that they attach to democratic accountability. As I did with Angus MacDonald, I assure Richard Simpson that that aspect is very much in our thinking as we decide how to move forward.
NHS Shetland (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy last met NHS Shetland and what matters were discussed. (S4O-00400)
I last met the chair of NHS Shetland on 21 November during my routine monthly meeting with NHS board chairs. We covered a wide range of matters of current interest that affect health services in the area.
I acknowledge that the cabinet secretary understands the concerns of Scalloway residents regarding the loss of the pharmacy from their general practitioner practice, given our earlier correspondence, for which I am grateful, regarding NHS Shetland’s actions on that matter. Is it the Scottish Government’s position that there is no legal reason that prevents a health board from considering all bids to provide pharmacy services at the same time and therefore to make an objective assessment for the area concerned? Although I appreciate her former profession, will she do her best to prevent lawyers from running local healthcare and instead ensure that local people have confidence that decisions about local health services are taken for the right, logical and health-related reasons?
I give Tavish Scott an absolute assurance that lawyers do not run the health service. The health service is run locally by health boards and, ultimately, by me and the Government. Of course, all decisions that health boards take must be within the law. In deciding on applications for new pharmacies, it is vital that health boards operate within the existing regulations, which the Government recently updated.
I understand very well the local feeling on those issues in many areas including Shetland, and I am clear that health boards must take account of that. Indeed, one of the reasons for revising the regulations was to ensure that local people are properly consulted. Ultimately, health boards have to take the decisions, and they are required to do so lawfully. Rightly, those decisions are independent of ministers.
If Tavish Scott wants to raise particular issues regarding the matter, I will be more than happy to continue to address them.
Health Services (Highlands and Islands Remote Areas)
To ask the Scottish Government what reassurances it can provide that the quality of rural health services will be maintained, especially in the more remote rural areas of the Highlands and Islands region. (S4O-00401)
Improving the quality of health services in rural areas was key to the work of the remote and rural implementation group, which was established in 2008 to identify a strategy for sustainable healthcare in remote and rural areas of Scotland. It delivered on 63 commitments and 20 forward issues between 2008 and 2010.
The RRIG has completed its work, but support continues to be given to all national health service boards to implement the actions and further recommendations that were contained in its final report, which was published in October 2010.
I know that the cabinet secretary is aware of the problems in providing out of hours and emergency cover in west Ardnamurchan. Is she in a position to suggest a solution to the problem?
I am aware of the current issues in west Ardnamurchan and I assure the member that I am taking a very close interest in how they are progressed. It is not for me, of course, to dictate to the community what the correct model of service provision is, but I have made it clear to both NHS Highland and the Scottish Ambulance Service that I expect them to work closely together, and with Highland Council and the local community, to come up collaboratively with a system that provides resilience and high-quality health services in the area.
A short-life working group, co-chaired by the Scottish Ambulance Service divisional manager for the north and Michael Foxley, who is the leader of Highland Council and one of the local councillors, was put in place to develop options to ensure a sustainable and clinically assured service for the community. I will continue to look very carefully at how that work progresses.
The cabinet secretary might also be aware that Galloway community hospital, which is in my region, was forced to downgrade its accident and emergency facilities to a minor injury unit during staff shortages last month. What assurances can she give that further reductions in NHS funding will not result in reductions in services in rural areas across Scotland, such as Galloway?
Notwithstanding that the original question was specifically about the Highlands and Islands region, I am happy to address Claudia Beamish’s question.
My colleague Michael Matheson participated before lunch time in a members’ business debate, which I know was close to the Presiding Officer’s heart, on accident and emergency services in Ayr. I mention that to make it clear that local provision of accident and emergency services is very important to this Government, and I think that our actions over the years have demonstrated that.
Of course, local boards have an obligation to ensure that the services that they provide are safe and sustainable. Any actions that boards take in that regard have to meet those standards. I am aware of the situation in Galloway and of the decisions that the board has taken, and I think that it has taken the right decisions.
Thank you. We anticipated your resilience, cabinet secretary.
I thank the cabinet secretary for her response to Mike MacKenzie.
The loss of the dedication and commitment of Nurse Jessie Colquhoun presents a tremendous challenge to the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS Highland. From what I have been told, the option of local people training as emergency responders, given that a road or air ambulance can take more than an hour to arrive, is not acceptable to many in the community. Will the cabinet secretary ensure that even the most remote communities have an assurance of emergency care, in and out of hours, that is of a similar standard to that in other areas of Scotland?
I echo Mary Scanlon’s comments about the local nurse involved, who I understand is due to retire. From everything that I have heard from people in the area, she has done a great service to the local community and I know that people will miss her greatly when she retires.
I have said previously, and I will say it again, that I believe that people living in rural Scotland—even in the most remote parts of Scotland—have a right to expect high-quality health services. Everything that we do as a Government and everything that we encourage and support health boards to do is designed to achieve that. Clearly, the way in which the services are delivered in some of our most remote communities will not be identical to how they are delivered in urban parts of Scotland. It is crucial that the health board, the ambulance service, the council and the community come together to come up with a model of service provision that is deliverable and which satisfies the community’s concerns about safety and sustainability. I support that work, and I will continue to look carefully at the progress that is being made, which I hope will be good.
Child Mental Health Treatment Services (Waiting Time)
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for children seeking mental health treatment. (S4O-00402)
We have introduced a waiting time target that means that by March 2013, no one will wait longer than 26 weeks from referral to treatment for specialist child and adolescent mental health services.
The Information Services Division is collecting the data on a monthly basis using a live database. The data that is collected will be published when it is of sufficient quality to ensure accuracy, reliability and comparability.
Given the Government’s target of 26 weeks by 2013, does the minister think that the waiting time of 182 weeks—or three and a half years—for children to see a psychologist in Tayside is acceptable? What will he do to reduce it to 26 weeks as soon as possible?
That area has historically not been given the level of priority that it deserves, which is why we as a Government renewed our focus on it several years ago and made additional resource available. Up to 2009, we provided approximately £6.5 million to increase the number of psychologists who are working in that very specific field. In addition, we have invested approximately £2 million since 2009-10 to increase the capacity in tier 3 and tier 4 services, to ensure that we provide early intervention as early as possible so that people get the right clinical outcomes from their treatment.
However, we recognise that there is a need to make further progress in that area, and we are working with boards throughout Scotland to make it clear that we expect them to achieve the target that we have set for them.
Healthcare Services
To ask the Scottish Government how it will provide more sustainable and high-quality healthcare services closer to the communities that they serve. (S4O-00403)
The Scottish Government is investing more than £200 million in community-based facilities via the hub initiative to support the delivery of high-quality local healthcare.
I recently attended the sod cutting for the new Wester Hailes healthy living centre in my constituency. The local community has waited for more than 15 years for those new healthcare facilities, and residents in the Firrhill area have been waiting for a similar period of time for a new health and social care centre. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on the status of the proposed Firrhill partnership centre?
I was delighted to perform the official sod-cutting ceremony for the new Wester Hailes healthy living centre. It is a fantastic development and, as Gordon MacDonald said, it is long overdue for the local community.
Gordon MacDonald is right to mention the Firrhill area. I can tell him today that that project is now progressing as an NHS Lothian facility; the intention previously was that it would be a joint facility between the health board and the local council. It is intended to include the following services: the Craiglockhart and Firrhill medical practices, community nursing, podiatry, older people’s mental health, learning disabilities, community mental health and paediatrics. NHS Lothian is in discussion with the council regarding the purchase of the preferred site.
I know that Gordon MacDonald takes a close interest in that issue as a constituency member, and I am happy to keep him up to date with progress.
What action does the cabinet secretary intend to take following the warning from the Royal College of Midwives about a crisis in the number of midwives as the result of an increasing age and retirement bulge, which could clearly impact on local communities? How does the Government intend to plan for sustainable recruitment in the NHS?
I saw the Royal College of Midwives’ work earlier in the week.
I hope that I am not misquoting the Royal College of Midwives in Scotland when I say that in its report, or certainly in the commentary around that report, it is pointed out that there is a good number of midwives in Scotland and that we are in a good position—that puts us in a better position than other parts of the United Kingdom. Of course, we want to ensure that we continue in that good position.
The Royal College of Midwives is right to point out the demographic challenge; my challenge as health secretary and our challenge as the Government is to ensure that in our workforce planning, in the broadest sense—in student numbers and working through to the numbers that we expect to see qualify and be available to the NHS—we are taking account of all those factors. I assure the member that we continue to do so in close dialogue with the Royal College of Midwives.
Health Service Changes (Consultation)
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations national health service boards should carry out before implementing changes to services. (S4O-00404)
NHS boards must routinely communicate with and involve the people and communities that they serve to inform them about their plans and, indeed, about their general performance. They must do so, in particular, when they are taking forward service change proposals. Government guidance of February 2010 supports boards in their statutory duty to inform, engage and consult their patients and the wider public. The Scottish Health Council has an important supporting role in providing advice to boards on appropriate engagement.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. Obviously, she is aware of the situation in Ardnamurchan, but there is a similar situation in Glenelg in my region, where staffing changes have led to lesser services being proposed by NHS boards. The communities in those areas are very unsatisfied and very worried, despite having been consulted. The cabinet secretary has written to those communities and said that service changes should not lead to lesser services. When will she intervene to ensure that health boards provide the same level of service, if not improved services, under those service changes?
Given that there are no emergency services as such in those areas, will the cabinet secretary also intervene with the Scottish Ambulance Service to ensure that adequate service provision is in place?
I am very well aware of the situation in Glenelg and Arnisdale that the member raises. For members who are not aware, the situation has arisen because a part-time general practitioner there has been seconded to work with the Scottish Government. NHS Highland is in the process, as we speak, of developing options for future GP service provision in the area and has made it very clear that the status quo, based on the current model of service, is one of the options that is being considered. I have made it very clear to NHS Highland that any proposals that it puts forward should be based on the need to maintain and improve the quality of the service that is provided to local people.
Of course, locum GP cover is in place to cover the vacant position until a decision is taken on a permanent solution. Therefore, there is no change right now to current service provision. I hope that the member appreciates that this is an on-going matter, that current service provision is being maintained and that it would therefore not be appropriate for me to intervene in any way at this stage. However, as I said in relation to the west Ardnamurchan situation, I am looking carefully and keeping abreast of developments in this instance, too.
Can the cabinet secretary assure my constituents in west Caithness that the future consultation on the Dunbar hospital in Thurso will not rule out the retention of respite beds and 24/7 accident and emergency, which affects the whole north coast of Sutherland?
I thank Rob Gibson for his question. I know that he takes a very close interest in all those matters on behalf of his constituents.
I am aware of the proposals for the redesign of services in west Caithness and the potential changes to Dunbar hospital in Thurso, but I stress that there are no firm proposals yet. I have made it clear to all boards that I expect proposals for service redesign to result in improved quality of care for patients and that they must be developed with the full engagement of all stakeholders and the wider public. If and when NHS Highland puts forward proposals, and if those proposals are deemed to constitute major service change, the board will be required to carry out a full public consultation in line with Government guidance. Of course, any decisions that are subsequently taken by the board would, in those circumstances, be subject to a final decision by ministers.
Glasgow Royal Infirmary (Parking Charges)
To ask the Scottish Government what steps the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy has taken regarding the recent increase in parking charges at Glasgow royal infirmary. (S4O-00405)
As Sandra White is aware, the multi-exit passes that have been the subject of the recent price increase are outwith the terms of the contract between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the car park owner. However, I encourage the car park operators to enter into discussions with the health board with a view to ensuring fairness for the staff who use this car park.
The cabinet secretary is aware that I met staff outside Glasgow royal infirmary. Since then, I have received confirmation from Impregilo that
“We are therefore reviewing our options, including introducing additional/season tickets with further discounts on the revised tariffs.”
I have written again to Impregilo to request a meeting of all the concerned parties. Will the cabinet secretary also write to Impregilo or request a meeting with it to resolve the situation?
Sandra White has assiduously represented her constituents on the issue. I am pleased to hear the extract from the letter that she read out and to hear that Impregilo has responded favourably to her representations. I can say easily that I would be happy to make contact with the company to discuss the matter and to encourage it to review the recent increase in car parking charges.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that the most effective way of dealing with the issue once and for all would be to introduce legislation that ensures free car parking at all NHS hospitals throughout Scotland?
The issue is serious, but I struggle to take seriously Labour members who stand up and make the point that Paul Martin just made. The Government before the SNP Government introduced car parking charges. A private finance initiative contract that was concluded under the previous Labour Government is involved. It is down to that Government’s actions that car parking charges are in place at Glasgow royal infirmary. All Labour members would do well to stop and reflect on that point.
As the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, I abolished car parking charges in all NHS car parks. I wish that I could do so at Glasgow royal infirmary and the other PFI hospitals—Ninewells and Edinburgh royal infirmary—but, thanks to the contracts that Labour signed, buying out those contracts would cost the public purse millions of pounds, which could not be spent on front-line health services. I would like to undo the previous Labour Administration’s folly. I have managed to do that in a number of respects but, unfortunately, I cannot do that for everything.
Reablement Strategies
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in rolling out reablement strategies across local authorities. (S4O-00406)
As part of the Scottish Government’s reshaping care for older people programme, the joint improvement team has supported local partnerships to review and redesign home care services and to develop re-enablement models in their areas. In April 2010, the joint improvement team published a step-by-step guide to home care re-enablement on its website. It held a series of regional two-day workshops throughout 2010 to provide practical support to partnerships that were considering or had started the redesign of home care services.
The Scottish Government is working on an intermediate care framework, which is due to be published early next year. That will assist partnerships to design and develop rehabilitation and re-enablement services in their areas.
I congratulate the Government on launching the best practice toolkit that is designed to manage and reduce falls and fractures in Scotland’s care homes for older people. Does the minister plan to extend that toolkit to the care of elderly people in their own homes?
Clare Adamson refers to the toolkit, which I had the pleasure of launching in East Kilbride in the summer. A key part of that is promoting good physical activity among older people to help to keep them physically well and to reduce the chances of a fall. The toolkit also looks at problems that can arise because of a building’s design.
We are working with agencies such as the fire service to ensure that, when fire services visit older people for fire prevention purposes, they consider situations that might cause concern and could result in a fall. We are looking to create stronger links between our national falls programme and our national telehealth programme to maximise the use of telehealth to deal with the issue. When the Scottish Ambulance Service responds to someone who presents with a fall but does not require to be hospitalised, it is working to arrange for that person to be referred to other services that might be able to intervene and provide assistance to address situations that are of concern and are resulting in falls.
We are taking forward a range of measures. I have no doubt that the toolkit will be used well across the rest of the country in a variety of settings.
Healing Spaces (Midpark Hospital)
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effect on psychiatric patients of the healing spaces project not being installed timeously at the Midpark hospital in Dumfries. (S4O-00407)
I understand from NHS Dumfries and Galloway that it is working with the Holywood Trust and other local charitable organisations on delivering the healing spaces project, which will be opened as soon as the new Midpark hospital in Dumfries is opened. Patients are due to move into the new hospital in early December as planned.
I am sure that I can pass on the gratitude of my constituents who are involved in the project to the national health service workers in Dumfries and Galloway who have worked hard to make it happen. Will the minister join me in acknowledging the important contribution that the arts make to psychiatric therapy?
This is a very good example of the NHS working along with local organisations to ensure that it delivers a valuable project to patients in the area. I have no doubt that the arts project will have significant benefit for patients with mental illness who are able to participate in it. I have no doubt that arts have an important part to play in the therapeutic provision that can help to support the recovery of people with mental health problems. I am more than happy to endorse Joan McAlpine’s views on this issue.
Dementia (West Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle dementia in West Scotland. (S4O-00408)
The Scottish Government is taking national, strategic action to tackle dementia and to support local service improvement in the west of Scotland and across the country.
That includes implementing the standards of care for dementia, investing in upskilling the dementia workforce and supporting local partnerships to reshape older people’s and dementia services through the change fund.
All seven partnerships in the west of Scotland are using change fund money this year for dementia-related projects that are either planned or under way and about 40 per cent of the dementia champions who are being trained this year are drawn from hospitals in the four national health service boards in the west of Scotland.
I would be grateful if the cabinet secretary could indicate whether there will be any set allocation of funds and resources from the preventative spend budget to tackle dementia in the next financial year.
Partnerships are asked to submit change plans by February next year setting out how they would use the change fund for older people’s services in 2012-13. The fund is intended to help to shift the totality of health and care spend, emphasising anticipatory care and preventative services that support older people to stay well within their own home. Although no set allocation within the change fund has been identified specifically for dementia, I would expect dementia services to feature strongly in partnership plans. Of course it is also the case that partnerships must ensure that at least 20 per cent of next year’s change fund spend is dedicated to supporting carers to continue to care for older people, which might well include care support provided to people with dementia.
In summary, I give the member and the chamber a strong assurance that improving services for patients with dementia and their carers and families is one of the utmost priorities of this Government and we are determined to see real change.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government announced plans to train 200 dementia champions, with the contract awarded to the University of the West of Scotland and Alzheimer Scotland—Action on Dementia, both of which are based in Paisley. Will the cabinet secretary give an update on the progress made with the first 100 to be trained this year? What is the completion date for the training?
The programme is well under way and is going extremely well. I am more than happy to provide in writing the specific details around the allocation of dementia champions. The programme is a key part of our work on raising awareness and the profile of dementia and raising standards around dementia care. As I said in response to Stuart McMillan, 40 per cent of the dementia champions that are being trained this year are drawn from hospitals in the west of Scotland.
We are working closely with Alzheimer Scotland on that work and on ensuring that we are implementing the dementia standards in full across all settings, with a particular focus on improving care in general hospitals and improving post-diagnostic support for people with dementia, which is absolutely key in ensuring that they get the support that they need.
Scottish Ambulance Service (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the Scottish Ambulance Service and what matters were discussed. (S4O-00409)
I chaired the public annual review of the Scottish Ambulance Service on 10 October in Kirkcaldy. We discussed a range of issues, including performance levels, finance, the workforce, clinical quality and how the service will continue to improve and develop to ensure the best possible care for patients across Scotland. I also meet the chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service as part of my routine monthly meetings with all NHS board chairs.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that rest breaks are required under European Union regulations for reasons of safety and could be given up only if the ambulance service were designated as the police and the armed forces are? Does she have any intention to consider redesignating emergency ambulance personnel to bring them under the same section of the regulations as the police? Also, does she have any concerns, as I do, about the fact that there is at least anecdotal evidence that some red light calls are being downgraded to yellow light status?
As Richard Simpson will know from my statement to Parliament on the issue a few weeks ago, I take a close interest in this issue. On a weekly basis, I monitor the number of times that calls are interrupting rest breaks and all the issues around that. We have an interim agreement in place at the moment and talks are on-going to secure a longer-term agreement. The experience of implementing the interim agreement will be a factor in those on-going discussions.
On Richard Simpson’s first point, we have discussed this issue before. In my view, the ambulance service is an emergency service, and there is nothing in law to say that it is not. As I have said in response to a previous question from him in the chamber, if we ever needed to do anything to put that beyond doubt, I would do it. I believe that ambulance workers should have rest breaks, and the interim agreement guarantees those breaks. If a rest break is interrupted, ambulance workers receive financial compensation, and their rest break should be rescheduled to later in their shift. We ask a lot of our ambulance workers, and I believe that they do a fantastic job. It is therefore incumbent on me, on the Government and on all of us to ensure that we look after their health, wellbeing and safety. Rest breaks are therefore extremely important, and any longer-term agreement should recognise that.
I should like to draw the cabinet secretary’s attention to the fact that, when a constituent of mine called an ambulance in the middle of the night, some time ago, the ambulance could not get to them very swiftly because the address was not recognised by the ambulance’s sat nav system. The address is on a housing estate that has been there for several years, on a road that has certainly had houses on it for at least a year. Will she undertake to look into the matter, please, and to ensure that our ambulance service has the most up-to-date maps possible?
That is an important point and one that has been raised recently in connection with some tragic incidents, including one of the incidents that gave rise to the concerns around rest breaks.
The Scottish Ambulance Service’s mapping system works by using two information sources to provide an overall navigation system that encompasses both geography and address information. The first source is the mapping that provides the geography to be included on the system and the second aspect of the system is street-level data that allows for addresses to be plotted on to the geographical maps. A dedicated e-mail address is also available for local authorities to submit new street names and locations. It is monitored daily by Scottish Ambulance Service data administrators, who then update the system.
As well as that, we have a system that allows anecdotal updating by ambulance service workers or, indeed, by anybody else. That is the system that the Scottish Ambulance Service is ensuring that it has in place.
Smoking Ban (Cars Carrying Children)
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to consult on introducing a ban on smoking in cars carrying children. (S4O-00410)
We have no current plans to consult on extending Scotland’s smoke-free laws to private cars. Successful implementation of the smoking ban has undoubtedly already reduced exposure to second-hand smoke among children in Scotland.
We remain totally committed to maintaining Scotland’s position as a world leader in tobacco control. In developing our proposed new tobacco control strategy for launch next year, we will explore what additional measures might be taken to further protect children from the impact of second-hand smoke.
Studies that came out in February and August this year showed that the level of particulate matter in cars in which people were smoking was similar to that in a smoke-filled pub. Does the minister agree that that has a disproportionate effect on child passengers because of their less developed immune systems and faster breathing rates? Will the minister commit to considering a ban in the strategy that he mentioned?
As I said to the member, we are at an early stage with the new tobacco control strategy and we will look at a range of different measures that might be appropriate. We will engage with a range of stakeholders and get their views about what they want to see in the new tobacco control strategy. At this stage, we have no intention of consulting formally on the introduction of a ban on smoking in cars that are carrying children. We are committed to ensuring that our country continues to lead the world with the measures that it can take to reduce the risks of exposure to second-hand smoke and to reduce the overall level of smoking.
Question 13, in my name, has been withdrawn due to unforeseen circumstances. I apologise to the chamber and to Humza Yousaf in particular.
Obesity (Children)
To ask the Scottish Government what checks and balances there are to ensure that, when tackling obesity in children, their weight remains within the healthy spectrum. (S4O-00412)
The aim of programmes to tackle overweight and obesity in children is to support children and young people to grow through their overweight to achieve a healthy weight. As a minimum, all Scottish Government-funded programmes require participating children to be weighed and measured on entry to and completion of programmes.
I know that the cabinet secretary is aware of my personal interest in this area and of the Eden unit at Cornhill in the NHS Grampian area. Are there any plans to look at additional services to support under-16s who are underweight and develop anorexia and their parents?
A lot of work has been done by health boards, in particular Grampian, to ensure that it is not just children who are overweight but under-16s who are underweight who have access to the right programmes and support. The member has cited one of those support arrangements in Grampian, where the issue was the subject of quite an extensive health committee investigation that led directly to improvements in the support for children in the north of Scotland who have weight issues. I hope that I can work with the member to continue to strive to improve those services.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy last met the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. (S4O-00413)
Ministers and officials regularly meet senior management of national health service boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. I chaired the board’s annual review on 17 October when matters of national and local priority were discussed.
Will the cabinet secretary confirm that discussions will be held with the health boards about the concerns of the Royal College of Midwives about the long-term shortfall in midwife numbers? Will she assure me that action will be taken to secure and ensure the sustainability of midwife-led maternity units? I am particularly speaking about the successful unit at Inverclyde royal hospital.
I answered the general question about the RCM’s report in my response to Nanette Milne’s question and I am happy to repeat the assurances that I gave her about my responsibilities for workforce planning and ensuring the sustainability of services. I am not talking about any particular unit here, but generally I am committed to midwife-led maternity units. One or two of them were under threat when I took office and I am glad to say that they are still operating.
Clearly, all health boards have to ensure the safety and sustainability of all services, but where they provide a service that is used and wanted by the public, it is important that they are supported.
With everyone’s permission, we will squeeze in question 16.
Heart Disease
To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken in local communities to reduce heart disease. (S4O-00414)
The Scottish Government’s action to reduce smoking rates, to reduce excessive alcohol consumption and to tackle obesity in communities will make an important contribution to reducing heart disease. In addition, the keep well programme of health checks will continue to target people who live in Scotland’s most deprived communities, who are at greatest risk of developing heart disease, and to support them to improve their health.
The minister may or may not know that Paisley recently became a heart town as part of the have a heart initiative. Does he agree that initiatives such as Paisley becoming a heart town and have a heart Paisley are an important part of the campaign to promote healthy lifestyles in our communities?
I am aware that Paisley is now a heart town and that, as such, it is part of the British Heart Foundation’s programme to target healthier living in areas where there is a high level of coronary heart disease and to get people to take action to improve their overall health. Such local initiatives are a valued addition to the Scottish Government’s overall approach.
Back in June 2009, the cabinet secretary launched our better heart disease and stroke care action plan, which is about improving the overall quality of care for people who suffer a cardiac episode or a stroke and about ensuring that people take action on their lifestyle to reduce the risks that they may be leaving themselves open to as a result of a particular type of behaviour, the food that they eat or other activities that they may be involved in that could be detrimental to their health.