Chamber and committees

Does that feed into some of the on-going service development of NHS 24? Are you looking at what suits the population now and what has to continue to develop, particularly in the mental health space, in the coming years?

What assessment has been made of the public awareness of mental health services that are available through NHS 24? Do patients on the whole know that they can access mental health support through NHS 24 and is the feedback that you are getting that they are comfortable using it, or is there still evidence that a lot of people are going to their GP or other places first?

Obviously, at times when people phone the Ambulance Service they are in acute distress or in acute need of help. Is there on-going assessment of how those calls are handled, the experience of call handlers, and how those response times and categorisations are communicated to people who are waiting?

At the moment, people under 16 are advised to phone Childline. Is there a plan to expand mental health provision for children and young people? Is there a benefit in providing a dedicated mental health service, such as breathing space or the other interventions you have mentioned, for children and young people in particular?

Given the digital literacy of children and young people, is there a smaller volume than you might expect of children and young people phoning NHS 24 versus other interventions? Does that speak to the variety of things that we need to provide?

We know that women, particularly those with caring responsibilities or young families, face specific barriers. What is the Scottish Government doing, through the MAT standards, to support those women who are going through recovery from problem substance use?

Today, I lodged the final proposal for my abortion services safe access zones (Scotland) bill. I thank campaigners, those who contributed to the consultation and MSPs across the chamber for their support.

Could I invite the First Minister to take this opportunity to reaffirm his support for the bill and to encourage others to sign the final proposal this afternoon to show that this Parliament will not only stand up for reproductive rights but advance and strengthen them?

I begin by expressing my heartfelt thanks to everyone who works in our NHS. They have had a mountain to climb since the outbreak of the pandemic. The fact that so many staff members have worked so hard to keep us safe while facing that enormous challenge is incredible. There have also been huge impacts on patients, with too many people waiting too long for treatment due to the backlog in care that has been exacerbated by Covid. It is undeniable that we have to get those waits down. However, it is also essential that people are supported while they wait.

In the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, we have been hearing about waiting well initiatives that are being implemented by health boards, whereby patients are sent letters when there are long waits. In NHS Fife, for example, staff engage in person-centred conversations with patients in all specialties to give them information about the expected waiting time and the reasons behind that and to signpost them to other opportunities. That keeps the lines of communication open and allows patients to keep in touch with the relevant consultants.

In my region, NHS Forth Valley has implemented assessment appointments in order to reduce waiting times. Between July and September 2022, all patients who were on the adult psychological therapies waiting list were offered an assessment appointment with a clinician, which allowed them to be matched to an appropriate intervention without unnecessary waits. That has reduced waits, but it has also allowed the board to undertake more effective service planning to better match the types of demand to capacity. We would all recognise that that has relevance beyond the current time period.

Keeping in contact with patients who are on waiting lists and keeping them informed about how long they can reasonably expect to wait will help to reduce patient anxiety. It is worth noting that boards are implementing new and innovative ways to do that. However, there is still much work to do.

I am very concerned about staff wellbeing, as I know other members will be, given the amount of pressure that people are under. Staff had to shift from fighting Covid-19 during the worst periods of the pandemic to tackling the huge backlog that built up during the lockdowns. Members have heard many times about the impact that that has had on people. Staff are also being affected by workforce pressures, as vacancies are a key barrier to reducing workloads and waiting times. Recruitment efforts must be prioritised, as must retention. We need to ensure that the NHS has sufficient staff to tackle the backlog, and the promotion of staff wellbeing must play a key part in improving retention.

In the health committee, we have also heard from health boards about how maintaining a focus on wellbeing has aided them in those efforts. During an evidence session, Robin McNaught, who is the director of finance and e-health at the State Hospitals Board for Scotland, spoke about the positive impact of peer support and induction on the recruitment and retention of new staff. He described the focus on the development of a peer support network, both clinical and non-clinical, throughout the board. The board has also delivered training sessions on peer support this year. A number of staff are now trained as peer support workers and they can provide dedicated support to new staff.

At a later committee evidence session, I asked representatives of NHS Fife, NHS Grampian and NHS Lothian whether they had considered setting up similar networks. They confirmed that they have rolled out peer support models across their organisations, as well as wellbeing initiatives such as psychological first aid and speak up ambassadors.

I would be interested to hear from the cabinet secretary in his closing speech how the Government can support all health boards to roll out such peer support schemes where they are not already in place. I would also be grateful for an update on the implementation of safe staffing legislation, as that will also help to reduce the pressure on staff.

We must not underestimate the challenges of working through the backlogs in care. While that work is on-going, we must be keenly aware of the extra pressure and stress that it causes for staff, patients and their loved ones, and we must do everything in our power to alleviate that.

On behalf of the Scottish Greens, I welcome Fiona Hyslop to her post. She has been personally supportive of me as a new MSP, and she has been a constant contributor in this parliamentary session from the back bench and in committee. As we have heard from other members, she comes with the clout that we need for the transport portfolio.

We wish Fiona Hyslop every success in what we all know is a demanding ministerial brief at any given time. However, as she was the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture during the pandemic, she is no stranger to challenging circumstances. We look forward to working with her on the scrapping of peak rail fares this October, engaging on the outcomes of the fair fares review and building on the success of under-22s free bus travel, as well as working on the decarbonisation of transport across Scotland.

I thank Kevin Stewart for his collaborative approach to the Bute house agreement in his various roles over the past couple of years. I echo the comments of the First Minister on Kevin Stewart’s bravery. I very much enjoyed working with him when he was the Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care. On behalf of the party, I wish him well, and I look forward to him being back in Parliament soon.

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can provide to the Forth Bike scheme and its partners, in the light of the scheme ceasing to operate. (S6O-02349)