Chamber and committees

I would like to make some progress.

The cabinet secretary has been in post for almost 500 days. People say that he is missing in action, but he is not even missing in action—he is just missing. It is time for him to own his record. He must listen and engage with what staff are telling him. In his speech, the cabinet secretary said that we should be grateful that two-year waits have been eradicated. Is that the sum total of his ambition for the NHS? Is that what he stands behind?

This week, it was revealed that hundreds of surge beds that were made available last winter to cope with additional patient numbers are still occupied.

Let us reflect on the views of doctors working in our NHS, as highlighted by Alex Cole-Hamilton and others. John-Paul Loughrey, the vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, said that the latest delays could lead to 40 deaths in the following 30 days. He said:

“Every hospital in Scotland just now is under the cosh.”

As we have heard, just last week, 1,200 people spent more than 12 hours waiting in emergency departments in hospitals across Scotland. It is worth hearing that again, because we need to let it sink in. That is the reality in our hospitals right now.

We know that part of the solution to getting people out of hospital requires well-supported and valued social care.

Emma Harper rose—

I will give way to Emma Harper.

Of course I acknowledge that Brexit is part of it. However, what we hear from the Government is excuse after excuse. If it is not the pandemic, it is Brexit. If it is not Brexit, it is how we operate care homes. If it is not that, it is procurement. Excuse, excuse, excuse. Where are the solutions?

Actions speak louder than words. If this SNP-Green Government respected care workers, it would offer them more than the derisory pay rise that it has offered them. Our care workers deserve better. That is why Scottish Labour has consistently called for care workers to receive an immediate pay rise to £15 per hour.

NHS staff are working tirelessly to provide exceptional care, but they are being let down by the inaction of this Government and this cabinet secretary. The SNP cannot shirk responsibility for the current crisis. I noticed that many SNP back benchers did not even want to mention the NHS for which their party is responsible.

The crisis is the result of 15 years of sustained failure by this Government—a Government that is out of touch, out of ideas and unwilling to take responsibility. I challenge the cabinet secretary to step up, show leadership and do whatever is necessary to avert a coming humanitarian crisis in our hospitals this winter.

Obviously, there is a basket of approaches that need to be taken on capacity. However, I was concerned to read about the lack of surge capacity in beds, which has been identified across boards. A large number of beds from last winter’s surge capacity are still occupied. How will we ensure surge capacity if required when it is simply not there?

Can you hear me? Thanks, convener.

I understand what colleagues have said about their anecdotal experience in the NHS and the comments that have been made about staff, but John-Paul Loughrey, who is vice-chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, has said that frail elderly people are being left on trolleys for hours because of shortages and that the initiatives that the Government has taken—to move people with minor ailments away from A and E, for example—are not delivering the change that is needed. He has said that every hospital in Scotland is “under the cosh”. What is the panel’s view on those comments? What interaction has there been with the RCEM?

I want to explore that mental health point a little further. I will ask about people who will inevitably end up in crisis due to cost of living pressures. Because it ties into trying to reduce attendances at the wrong place, I am keen to understand what work the boards have done with third sector providers on the support that they can give to deal with crisis. I am thinking about organisations such as local mental health associations, which already run some of the relevant services.

Given my local interest, I will start with Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Dr Armstrong.

Sure.

I have two questions that I will ask together, if that is helpful. How resilient are boards in terms of staffing numbers over winter, given the challenges that we know persisted last winter and over the course of the Covid period? I am particularly interested in single staffing of wards and some of the data around that. Secondly in terms of resilience, staff wellbeing was alluded to, but to what degree have there been innovations such as the provision of meals for staff on night shift and rest areas?

The Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland—CCPS—conducted a survey of its members on resilience that shows countless examples of difficulties with recruitment. What steps have been taken to address that?

I appreciate what colleagues are saying about their anecdotal—[Inaudible.]