Chamber and committees

There is quite a lot in that question. Kym Kestell from the British Heart Foundation Scotland gave the committee good evidence on the research that the BHF is doing, which the Scottish Government is very pleased to support. We also have the Chief Scientist Office, which is in charge of research into health in Scotland, and the chief scientist is very open to receiving applications from organisations and universities to undertake specific research into heart conditions. Alongside the data, the research that we can undertake in Scotland, given our population, is really important.

I absolutely agree. The targets will have been set with clinical advice and guidance. Targets should be a stretch, because we want people in Scotland to be healthy and to maintain healthy lifestyles. I know from the people who I have met who are living with stroke that some have had better journeys than others. That is how we learn. It is through sharing those stories widely among MSPs and more broadly across Scotland that change can happen. I was very heartened by the meeting that I chaired last week, because I heard a group of people who have the same determination to reach those targets.

We need to be aware that the FAST acronym is very well known. Bringing in the “BE”—the balance and the eyes—could produce some false positives, which we would be concerned might impact on clinicians’ ability to treat. That is why, in the additional training resource, we have been very clear that we are focusing on FAST, but we are also ensuring that people are aware that there could be other symptoms. The evidence and the discussions that I have had with the Stroke Association and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland show that their views tie in with that.

Absolutely—it is a great idea.

I appreciate the questions and it is important for us to get the right healthcare results for Scotland. Robust questions are fine, Mr Ewing, and if I cannot answer them, I am happy to respond in writing.

I will take away what you have just said about reviewing the evidence from Italy. I believe that the work in Denmark was also highlighted to the committee. I am content to have a look at that and respond to the committee with our thoughts. If you will allow me, I will gather some clinical views on that, too.

Extrasensory perception, and all that.

That important question ties into a question that you asked at the previous meeting as well. I know that you recognise that local authorities know their communities and who the key drivers are in different parts of their communities, whether that is the more deprived areas or the less deprived ones. Partnership working is definitely happening, and COSLA is part of the Save a Life for Scotland partnership, as you know.

Another important thing, which Steven Short touched on, is that businesses are often willing to get involved in supporting fundraising, as is the British Heart Foundation. As I said, we are looking at a paper that was worked on at the most recent Save a Life for Scotland meeting, and we will be taking decisions based on that.

Most definitely. As Davy Russell highlighted, a pilot is happening in NHS Forth Valley—we have not had any outcomes from it yet—and I note that NHS Ayrshire and Arran is also considering it.

That is a very fair question. As NHS Forth Valley is taking forward the pilot, I have no information on when it will be complete or when we will get the report. However, your questions are all on the record. Martin Macdonald is here with me today and we will converse with the health board to understand what it is doing, where it is in the pilot and when we can expect the report.

I was very disappointed to read the statistics that came out recently on the stroke bundles. I agree that improvement has to be made.

Just last week, I chaired a round table of all the stroke leads from the health boards across Scotland, at which we talked specifically about door-to-needle time as a major concern. We have considered how health board staff are configured and we have helped boards to introduce nurses who will specifically support people who could be presenting with stroke symptoms. I think that I am right in saying that NHS Lanarkshire has made really good improvements there. At the meeting last week, it was great to hear about what NHS Lanarkshire has been able to do. The other health boards heard about that and they can consider the changes that they could make. The Scottish Government has provided some funding to allow additional training for nurses across the health boards.

As you will know, the Scottish Government provides funding to health boards directly. The total health budget is about £21 billion. Of that, about £15 billion goes directly to health boards, and it is for them to make their decisions on how to allocate that among the various conditions that they have to support.

Having met the Bundy family and representatives of the Stroke Association and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, I felt very strongly that it was important for each health board to have a stroke lead and for me to meet them regularly. We also have a stroke specialist in the Scottish Government, who is part of the chief medical officer’s team. He engages regularly with the stroke leads to ensure that we can improve, because that is what we have to do. You are absolutely right that we have to improve the statistics.