Chamber and committees

Thank you, Mark. Oliver, would you like to respond?

Yes. Hopefully it will stay away.

The committee heard last week about weaknesses in the data that is available on rural settings, and about a lack of robust data on ethnicity and other equalities characteristics. What needs to be done to improve that?

I have a second question. Some submissions to the inquiry spoke about equalities in terms of equal access to high-quality public services. What impact has the 2015 act had on the quality of public services? Are you confident that people in your area have equal access to public services, regardless of where they live or their community of interest?

I know that that has already been touched on in some of the responses, but would anyone like to add anything further? While I have got you, Anna, would you like to come in?

Thank you; it does.

In the interests of time, I will move on to my next question—

The issues to be addressed by the strategy also include the gaps between policy and practice, the postcode lottery impact on the provision of support—which has been spoken about—workforce issues, education and training, and the trauma of diagnosis.

The change that is needed was summed up by one response that said:

“In my humble opinion, focus has to move away from entertaining people with dementia to empowering people with dementia by putting the foundations in place to allow someone like me to be more independent which in turn will enable me and my family to contribute both socially and financially to society and to live well as a family with dementia.”

From the responses that were shared with us, we know that a means of overcoming self-stigma following diagnosis was being able to talk to others who had gone through the same process.

Last night, on the Alzheimer Scotland website, I read “Tony’s Story”, which is a blog about Tony‘s experience with dementia. The Tony in question is Tony Worthington, who was the MP for Clydebank and Milngavie from 1987 until 2005. Since his diagnosis, he has been active in influencing policy through his involvement with the Scottish dementia working group. In recognition of the importance that sharing his story could have in tackling stigma, he has spoken publicly about his experience. It did not surprise me to see him doing that, because I have always greatly respected him and his desire to seek justice for his constituents. I put on record my admiration of his sharing his experience for the benefit of others.

Scotland has a track record of supporting people with dementia, as is shown by our commitment to provide immediate support in the first year after people receive a dementia diagnosis. The new dementia strategy is a real opportunity to build on and improve the provision of support and assistance. It is also a chance to shape change in a way that those who are impacted by dementia want.

I take this opportunity to highlight the growing need to improve support for those with dementia. Alzheimer Scotland advises that, worldwide, the number of adults living with dementia is on course to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050. There are around 90,000 people with dementia in Scotland, and it is estimated that that figure will increase by 50 per cent over the next 15 years.

I put on record my appreciation of the work of Alzheimer’s Scotland, including the work that it has done with Age Scotland in the about dementia forum, and I praise the support that it has given to my constituents through the Clydebank and Bearsden dementia resource centres. I also thank the staff and volunteers of Carers of West Dunbartonshire and Carers Link East Dunbartonshire for providing an outstanding level of support to carers in my constituency.

It is no surprise that most individuals who replied to the consultation were people who are caring or have cared for someone with dementia. Of course, dementia is having a disproportionate impact on women, because they are predominantly the carers, so we must make sure that their needs are also fully recognised in the new dementia strategy.

From my time as convener of the West Dunbartonshire health and social care partnership, I know how important it is to involve those who are impacted by dementia in the design of support and services to meet their needs. That is why I welcome the approach that the Scottish Government is taking to design the new dementia strategy. It will work with people with lived experience, so that the voices of people with dementia, and of their families and carers, will shape the new strategy. The responses to the consultation need detailed consideration, but we can already see a range of issues to be addressed by the new strategy. Those include the need to change how we talk about dementia.

No, you are absolutely fine. Does anybody else want to come in on that?

I was really impressed by the level of detail that the Improvement Service held on the interface.

What are the biggest challenges and barriers to CPPs making the impacts that the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 and the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 anticipated? I will go back to Stuart Graham with that question.

Good morning, panel. The issue of data has been touched on already. Back in 2013, Audit Scotland concluded that community planning partnerships

“are not able to show that they have had a significant impact in delivering improved outcomes across Scotland”.

Carol Calder, would you make the same assessment now?