The next item of business is consideration of motion S6M-17485, in the name of Paul Sweeney, on the appointment of the Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland.
16:56
Presiding Officer, as a member of the cross-party selection panel that you established under the Parliament’s standing orders, I am delighted to speak to the motion in my name and invite members of the Parliament to agree to nominate Karen Titchener to His Majesty the King for appointment as the inaugural Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland. The cross-party selection panel was chaired by you, Presiding Officer, and the other members were Colin Beattie, the member for Midlothian North and Musselburgh; Emma Harper, a member for South Scotland; Gillian Mackay, a member for Central Scotland; and Brian Whittle, a member for South Scotland.
The Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland is a new independent office-holder that was established under the Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland Act 2023 and it will be supported by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The commissioner will advocate for systemic improvement in the safety of healthcare in Scotland and will promote the importance of the views of patients and other members of the public in relation to the safety of healthcare. The commissioner will conduct formal investigations into possible safety issues and gather, analyse and report on information from patients and members of the public about safety concerns. It will report its findings to the Scottish Parliament.
Will the commissioner’s office be a safe haven for whistleblowers? There are many areas of public interest that are raised by whistleblowers that, as things stand, are not being properly dealt with or even respected.
The commissioner’s job is to look at systemic issues. Nonetheless, whistleblowers will be an important factor in identifying issues of a systemic nature that can be investigated and they will possibly form a trigger for investigation. I am sure that the commissioner will exercise their judgment accordingly. I encourage any member of the public who has concerns to engage with the commissioner.
I reassure Stephen Kerr that very clear processes and pathways are available to people in the health service to be able to whistleblow. Each health board has its own whistleblowing champion and there is a national whistleblowing officer that people can contact. I have made it clear to boards that I expect there to be a culture of accepting whistleblowing.
The commissioner’s remit covers all healthcare providers that are operating in Scotland, including the national health service and NHS-contracted and independent healthcare providers. The commissioner will work collaboratively with other organisations to improve patient safety, adding value to the patient safety system in Scotland.
The commissioner’s role will not duplicate the work of existing organisations. The commissioner will take a macro-level view of patient safety in Scotland and seek to improve overall safety rather than address individual cases.
Our nominee, Karen Titchener, has more than two decades of senior leadership experience within the national health service and is widely recognised as a national and international authority in complex care that is delivered in the home, including acute hospital-level care, palliative care and end-of-life services. Karen has been working in the United States since 2017 and is currently serving as the vice-president of hospital-at-home operations in Wisconsin. Karen’s extensive experience across the United Kingdom and international healthcare systems gives her a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in delivering safe, effective, person-centred care. The selection panel therefore believes that Karen’s nursing background and her patient and safety-centred approach equip her well to undertake this new role. I am sure that the Parliament will want to wish her well in her appointment.
I move,
That the Parliament nominates Karen Titchener to His Majesty The King for appointment as the Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland under schedule 1 paragraph 4 of the Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland Act 2023.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I apologise. When I intervened to talk about whistleblowing, I should have indicated that I am the director of WhistleblowersUK, which is a not-for-profit organisation that advances the case for a change in the law in order to protect whistleblowers.
Thank you, Mr Kerr. Your comments are on the record.
The question on the motion that we have just debated will be put at decision time.
Previous
Scotland in Today’s EuropeNext
Decision Time