Chamber and committees

Yes.

I will follow that up. How do we ensure that the complaints process is transparent and accessible for everyone? Clare Gallagher summed things up very well. Due to the number of different providers and where, when and through whom you can complain to those different providers, there is a complete spider’s web of issues, especially for service users whose first language is not English or who have other access issues. How can we ensure that any national-level process takes account of geographic variability and who the providers are, as well as access issues, to ensure that the complaints system is fit for purpose? How can we ensure that information about how to access and navigate through the process is well advertised, so that someone who does not want to take up independent advocacy or who does not have someone to advocate for them can still navigate it in their own way and in their own time?

That is great.

Dr Nolan, what are the key considerations for you in the development of a model complaints system for the proposed national care service? For the service users that you support, what do you see as the biggest barriers in a nationally structured model of complaints handling?

Thank you.

I think that you have covered most of it. I asked what the key considerations are for you in the development of a model complaints system. What pitfalls must we look out for, particularly when we are considering service users?

My first question is for Rhona Willder. Should a single organisation such as Citizens Advice Scotland be appointed to provide or co-ordinate the provision of advocacy, or do you see that happening in a different way under the bill?

I begin by expressing my condolences to everyone who has lost someone they love to AIDS. I also give my thanks to all the activists who have led, and who continue to lead, the fight for better treatment, diagnosis and understanding of HIV and AIDS. We would not be where we are today without their efforts, which have often been made at great personal cost.

Huge medical advancements have been made in the decades since HIV was first discovered, and it is now a very treatable disease. However, access to diagnosis and treatment is still not equitable, both globally and in Scotland. Inequality drives risk and creates barriers to diagnosis and treatment across the world—70 per cent of new HIV infections are among people who are marginalised and often criminalised. According to the World Health Organization, division, disparity and disregard for human rights are among the failures that have allowed HIV to become, and remain, a global health crisis. We cannot make those same mistakes.

We can end HIV transmission only by scaling up HIV services, removing structural barriers and tackling stigma and discrimination worldwide. Those structural barriers are evident in Scotland. For example, the current HIV outbreak in Glasgow is closely linked to widening health and social inequalities—including those relating to poverty and deprivation—faced by people who inject drugs. Analysis by Public Health Scotland found that none of the deaths associated with the outbreak was from an AIDS-related illness. However, people who inject drugs face a range of inequalities that increase their risk of HIV infection and their rate of mortality, such as homelessness and poor access to healthcare. Those factors interact in complex ways, presenting significant barriers that prevent people from staying well.

The Scottish Greens believe that action to address underlying health inequalities will help to reduce the number of drug-related deaths as well as related harms such as HIV infection. Alongside tackling underlying inequalities, we need to ensure that it is as easy as possible to test for HIV. Vulnerable people who might be at increased risk can be labelled as difficult to reach, but, in reality, testing is not always accessible.

Early diagnosis is crucial to ensuring that people with HIV can live the healthiest lives possible. However, according to the most recent statistics from Waverley Care, three out of every 10 HIV cases are being diagnosed late. Waverley Care’s analysis states that access to HIV testing can be impacted by structural barriers such as lack of capacity, time constraints, lack of knowledge about how to obtain a test, low perceived risk of HIV infection, fear of a positive test result and issues relating to disclosure.

Thank you. I was not born until the early 1990s. However, I grew up during a time when there were many myths about HIV, several of which persist today. That is why it is so important that we raise awareness of improved treatments and what having an undetectable viral load means. The Terrence Higgins Trust’s “Can’t pass it on” campaign aims to spread the simple message that someone living with HIV and receiving effective treatment cannot pass it on. Raising awareness of that reduces the stigma around HIV, and it is a positive message that encourages people with HIV to stay on treatment in order to keep both themselves and their sexual partners healthy. The more people who test and start effective treatment, the fewer HIV transmissions will happen.

I welcome all the interventions that the minister has announced today, and I look forward to seeing the impact that they will have. World AIDS day is an important reminder that HIV has not gone away. An estimated 38.4 million people live with HIV, and more than 4,139 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK. Access to diagnosis and treatment is not equitable, and stigma is still a reality in many people’s lives. We must continue to widen access to diagnosis and treatment, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

It is well established that alcohol marketing is causally associated with the initiating of drinking, an increase in alcohol consumption and an increased risk of relapse for those in recovery. Sports sponsorship provides alcohol companies with a prominent and highly attractive method of reaching a large audience, influencing how much and how often they consume alcohol. Does the Scottish Government recognise the need to implement restrictions on alcohol sport sponsorship as a public health measure to protect our population?

Like others, I want to add the thoughts of my party to the tributes paid here today to Doddie Weir. His legacy will be not just his rugby but the honesty and bravery with which he faced his health condition and the incredible work that he did in raising awareness and funding. I send the most sincere and heartfelt condolences to his family. Their bravery has never failed to astound me, and his sons, in particular, have been in my thoughts this week. It is awful to lose a parent, and they are so young. They have been amazing in accompanying their dad to events over the past few years, and I hope that the whole family are getting the support that they need.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it recognises the harms that are caused by alcohol sport sponsorship to vulnerable groups such as young people and those in recovery. (S6F-01600)