I thank Carol Mochan for bringing the debate to mark allied health professions day to the chamber. It is, sadly, slightly delayed but nonetheless highlights the vital role that our allied health professionals play in health, social care, education and the voluntary sector, their tireless commitment during the Covid-19 pandemic and the positive impact that they have on peoples’ lives—I think of my experience of the compassionate response of occupational therapists to my elderly father after he fell through a glass door and ended up completely losing his confidence, and I remember the radiographers who x-rayed my son’s broken arm, on three occasions, at the Royal Aberdeen children’s hospital and the physiotherapists who patiently supported my brother-in-law as he learned to walk again after a life-threatening stroke.

We know that people are emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic with increasingly complex health needs. The rehabilitation framework and the once-for-Scotland approach recognise the demand that is associated with pre-existing long-term health conditions and the needs of people living with those long-term effects of Covid-19. It is also important to acknowledge other pressures such as staffing and recruitment challenges, our ageing population, climate change and, of course, the health inequalities that were starkly brought into focus by the recent University of Glasgow report linking austerity measures with excess deaths in Great Britain. However, today is about recognition and appreciation of the contribution that is made by a skilled, experienced and committed allied healthcare workforce.

I welcome the additional funding for psychological therapies and interventions, the launch of the national conversation to improve support for people with dementia and their carers and this week’s announcement of £37 million of Scottish Government funding over the next four years to help future-proof our NHS against rising demand.

There is no doubt that we are experiencing radical changes in the delivery of healthcare, which mean that the knowledge and skills that are required by allied health professionals have changed, too. I will cite an example of a small-scale but innovative approach that supports students in their practice-based learning.

The school of health sciences at Robert Gordon University has been leading a contemporary, community-based education opportunity that brings tangible benefit to older people in the most deprived areas in my constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine. The Thursday physio drop-in is a weekly, student led physiotherapy clinic, comprising an over-55s exercise class along with advice on mobility, posture and strength, all followed by a cup of tea in a familiar setting within walking distance of people’s homes.

Building on that, a new student-led law clinic, recently launched in a busy GP practice in my constituency, will offer law students the opportunity to gain experience through providing free legal advice to people on low incomes. Barriers to health and wellbeing are complex: housing, finance and negotiating consumer rights are all barriers to the basic requirements of a healthy life—our best life. A first in Scotland, the community law clinic connects justice and allied healthcare to tackle the root causes of issues that contribute to poor mental and physical health, which is particularly relevant during the on-going cost of living crisis. I commend Hannah Moneagle from Robert Gordon University, Dr Adrian Crofton, lead clinician at the Torry medical practice, and all those involved in establishing that truly multidisciplinary project.

I commend all our allied health professionals for their commitment and resilience and for their contribution to making life better for us all, and again thank Carol Mochan for bringing this important debate to the chamber.

Welcome back, everybody. I welcome our second panel of witnesses: Teresa Medhurst, the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, and Gerry O’Donnell, its interim director of finance. I invite Ms Medhurst to make an opening statement.

That brings us to the end of the session, so many thanks for your attendance this morning. If there are any other issues that members want to raise, we will follow those up in writing.

We will have a short suspension to allow our witnesses to leave.

I was quite heartened to read that it sounds as though the release process has improved. However, as the Wise Group articulates in its letter, the difficulties outwith prison gates seem to be the challenge and, as you have all articulated, access to GPs is an issue.

I am aware through contact with NHS Grampian in my constituency role that there is an endeavour to encourage the general public to embrace new ways of working in terms of their not necessarily always requiring to see a GP for a health concern. There are other options, such as nurse practitioners, that the public can be signposted to and can access. In the context of this issue, might that be considered so that people who are vulnerable, have addiction issues and are on release from prison can similarly be signposted elsewhere?

On that note, as per the recommendation in the committee paper, should we write to NHS Scotland? We could copy the Wise Group’s letter to it and raise some of the concerns that we have discussed this morning.

Absolutely. We could perhaps also keep Angela Constance, the Minister for Drugs Policy, informed as well.

Do members agree to that approach and to share the information with relevant committees?

Members indicated agreement.

That completes our public business for today. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 9 November, when we will continue taking evidence as part of our pre-budget scrutiny process.

Thanks very much.

Thank you very much.

I would like to come back to a comment that you made in your opening remarks, Ms Medhurst. It relates to the growing proportion of the prison population who are vulnerable in terms of age, complex medical and personal care needs and so on. I am interested to hear more about what the likely impact of that might be on that group of prisoners in terms of resourcing the necessary staff, training, case management and trauma-informed approaches. I am interested in a bit more commentary on the implications of pressure in that regard.

When we visited the Lilias centre, I think that it was mentioned that an evaluation process was potentially going to be undertaken. I suppose that that would be to monitor outcomes and to look at the effectiveness of the unit. Jamie Greene raises a good point. I am certainly keen to understand the cost benefits arising from the two new units.