Chamber and committees

I, too, thank Jackie Baillie for lodging her motion. This is a day for celebration. It is a day to celebrate the dedication, kindness and passion of nurses in Scotland and beyond. Nurses are people who keep the health service going, no matter what happens. They deserve our recognition and thanks, and they need our commitment to their future because that safeguards our futures, too.

My colleagues have spoken about the important challenges and pressures that nursing staff in the NHS face, and I will not repeat a lot of those points. Suffice it to say that the pandemic has been extremely hard on nurses and other health professionals in carrying out their role. Those roles will be vital as we recover from the pandemic, especially with Brexit making it harder to attract overseas passion. This is a profession that is constantly evolving and needs to attract more talent.

However, today should not be about political disagreement, because our nurses deserve to be celebrated. Instead, I want to talk about what makes a great nurse and why it is such a brilliant profession to join.

Earlier today I spoke to Roz Kerr, a Hamilton lass who is filled with kindness and compassion. Roz and her sisters, Arlene and Jean, have dedicated their careers to the NHS and have recently celebrated a combined 100 years of service. That is an inspiration. [Applause.] For Roz, being a nurse means being an advocate for her patients, constantly treating people as she would wish to be treated and would wish her family members to be treated. As a member of a surgical team, Roz helps to create a sense of comfort and normality when patients have butterflies before theatre.

This morning, I asked Roz what makes a great nurse. One of the first things that she said is that nurses need to be really hard workers, that they need to be strong mentally and physically, and that they need to be unselfish and willing to put their patient first. I do not think anyone will be surprised that Roz said that nurses need to have great communication skills and that they need empathy. However, she also said that it is important that a nurse has great attention to detail, that they are a people person and that they are someone who really cares. We should note that those qualities make not only a great nurse but a great person.

Nurses deliver exceptional care to patients, bringing comfort to many. They are rewarded with a sense of achievement and joy—the feeling that they have made a real difference to someone’s life. Roz says that that feeling is absolutely priceless. She described the joy when a patient who has been suffering from chronic pain, often for quite a long time, has a hip or knee replaced, and they say, “Wow—this I can live with.”

I could tell from speaking with Roz just how much she loves her profession. She really wants to encourage others to follow in her and her sisters’ footsteps. She says that people should not be put off by Brexit. If someone is thinking about being a nurse, they should start on that incredible journey.

I also have a personal story of my own. In January 2020, my partner, the father of our three young children, had a massive heart attack. It runs in his family. Had he not been really fit and healthy, who knows what would have happened? Probably the worst, I imagine.

Any heart attack can be fatal, but one kind has earned notoriety and a scary sounding nickname because it is especially dangerous: the widow maker. Such heart attacks occur when the left anterior descending artery—LAD—which supplies blood to the larger front part of the heart, is completely blocked. My husband was rushed to University hospital Hairmyres and had a stent fitted. The care that he received from specialist nurses and other care professionals was nothing short of outstanding.

In another country, we would have been bankrupted by medical bills, but not in Scotland. It has been a really hard road at times, but, after two long years, he reckons that his health is nine out of 10 compared with how he was before. I think that that is amazing. My children still have their father because of those nurses and doctors.

To me, our NHS is beyond precious and our nurses are one of the jewels in that crown. I end with a thank you to Roz, Jean and Arlene, and to every single nurse in Scotland and beyond.

That is great. I have quite a short question on that, convener, if there is time. Will the £2 million funding for the RICs be ring fenced, to match up with the Scottish attainment challenge? Will you be able to do that, or is it going to be much more about a combination of funding?

That is really interesting as far as schools are concerned, but I am really interested in hearing about what individual children—and parents—are saying about where they are at, where they want to be and what changes they want to see.

That is really good to hear.

More than 30 per cent of our children and young people have additional support needs, including those who are neurodiverse or care experienced, and anxiety, relationships and social skills have always been issues for that particular group. It almost sounds as though they are drawing a little bit closer together with that cultural shift, with children being looked at more individually. I remember Angela Morgan saying that if we addressed all kids’ needs in the way that we address additional support needs, it would benefit all children.

Is specific work being done around improving outcomes for young people who have additional support needs or who are care experienced, and are we measuring that to see whether the outcomes specifically for that group are improving?

It is clear that, nowadays, many more of our children struggle with anxiety, social skills and relationships. How much focus is there on asking our children and young people, and their parents, about their health and wellbeing and what outcomes they want to progress towards?

I will let you guys choose who answers.

I appreciate the fact that a great deal of work is being done around 20-minute neighbourhoods and having services based in the community, where people are. However, an issue that we have come up against when we have talked to people from the NHS is the fact that they often tend to be driven by activity on which they have targets, and that it can be much more difficult for them to prioritise preventative work. What can be done to empower them to ensure that such work is a top priority? Is monitoring and evaluation carried out that we could look at?

I think that everybody here would agree that improving population health will be a key issue. That involves improving life expectancy—healthy life expectancy, in particular—and physical and mental health and wellbeing. Covid has shown us the importance of that. However, we are still recovering from the pandemic.

As the health and social care sector recovers, how can you ensure that policy making remains focused on prevention and early intervention?

Progress on life expectancy specifically has stalled over the past period. Are there any specific plans to revitalise that progress, and to monitor and evaluate it?

I thank Clare Adamson and the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee for their hard work throughout the inquiry into Scotland’s international affairs. Although I am not a member of the committee, the subject is an area of interest for me, as it should be for every member.

The inquiry underlines the Scottish Government’s work to strengthen our international relationships, increase trade and investment and, ultimately, achieve the overarching objective of sustainable economic growth in Scotland.

Every country takes a slightly different approach to conducting its international affairs, and policies will reflect that country, its culture, its politics and how it sees itself and the world. Scotland is no different.

Scotland faces unprecedented challenges. Whether it is responding to global concerns such as climate change, Covid recovery or the cost of living crisis, the Scottish Government is showing leadership and is amplifying the need for actions that are underpinned by the need for social, economic and climate justice.

We might be a small country, but our values have beaconed outwards for centuries. Scotland has forged alliances and become a prominent voice in the global community. Just look at the Scottish diaspora; Scots have bred themselves across the world to become a community of people who are proud of their Scottish roots, who contribute so much to their countries, but who are forever tied to the Scottish nation. Scotland’s diaspora, which is estimated to be more than 40 million people, is a powerful cultural, economic and political tool.

We might not yet be an independent nation, but Scotland’s presence is already strong across the globe. When the First Minister visits the United States next week, she will be visiting a country that is home to more than 20 million Scottish Americans, which is an outstanding foundation on which to further an independent Scotland’s global interests. The UK Government has proved itself to be incapable, or unwilling, to tap into the significant potential of Scotland’s diaspora, and has chosen instead to focus on a failing UK construct.

Engagement goes both ways. Scotland has benefited enormously from people coming here and enhancing and enriching our society. Scotland’s message to refugees has been one of welcome: new Scots are treated with dignity and respect, as they settle and flourish in their new home. Compare and contrast that with post-Brexit Britain, where the UK Government continues to conjure up a hostile environment for migrants, restricts trade and movement of labour, and alienates itself from international alliances.

If there was ever any doubt about the need for good international relations, the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate emergency and the war in Ukraine have all reaffirmed the fact that international co-operation is essential. The recently published “Scotland’s Global Affairs Framework”—which has been highlighted by the cabinet secretary and others in the debate—sets out the values and principles that underpin the Scottish Government’s international work, and sets out the basis on which the Scottish Government will prioritise its international activity.

Any nation that moves its political agenda beyond its borders does so based on the issues and politics that people care about internally: international affairs must always link back to our domestic ambitions. As a country that is committed to social, economic and climate justice, with the ambition to rejoin the EU and be part of a progressive international institution, our domestic politics provide the foundation for us to be leaders, alongside other forward-thinking nations, in international development, climate policy and human rights.

I welcome the work in leadership to incorporate the feminist foreign policy framework that Clare Adamson and others have mentioned. Feminist foreign policy is about moving away from what might come to mind when we think about traditional foreign policy—for example, military force and violence—and instead prioritising topics including peace, gender equality, environmental issues and human rights. A feminist foreign policy listens to marginalised voices and aims to remove gender, racial, sexual and socioeconomic boundaries, among others. It is empathetic, sensitive, caring and relational.

Scottish politics are inherently feminist. Scottish voters have noted their interest in politics and policies that emphasise equality of all kinds, including parity, justice and fairness. Scottish policies aim to create a society that is focused on social, economic and climate justice. Enacting those principles in our foreign policy is not only the right thing to do, but is something that comes naturally to us. With that realisation comes the bitter disappointment that so much of our foreign policy is limited by Westminster.

Finally, for the Scottish Government to realise Scotland’s potential as a good global citizen, we must listen and act in response to the voices that are often unheard, including those of the young and those from the global south. The world-first climate loss and damage fund that has been established by the Scottish Government sets an impressive tone. That financial contribution alone will not change the world. However, our role as a small progressive country is to be a leader and to encourage others to follow us in addressing past and present injustices.

We can play an outsized role in international development by drawing on our social, economic and cultural ties. Scotland must seek to establish partnerships with other members of the international development community, especially smaller EU member states, such as Ireland, as well as non-members of the EU, such as Norway. Such strategic partnerships with those donor countries could bring about active funding partnerships that are aligned with our priorities.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the climate and biodiversity emergencies prove in the starkest possible way that we live in an interconnected world. That is why it is imperative that Scotland becomes more active internationally. We have a unique place in the world—one of cultural, social and economic connection, a rich history of alliances and the domestic appetite for global justice. Scottish independence is the number 1 thing that will unlock our potential: that work is well and truly under way.