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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 15 July 2025
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Displaying 1388 contributions

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Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Female Participation in Sport and Physical Activity

Meeting date: 23 May 2023

Tess White

You are still not really answering the question about how to strike a balance between inclusion, fairness and safety, but I will leave it there.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Shetland, NHS Eileanan Siar and NHS Orkney)

Meeting date: 23 May 2023

Tess White

On the theme of consultants, Gordon Jamieson said in his submission that the board has a number of consultant roles that can take years to fill, so they are covered by agency staff. That has a huge cost. How many years would you say it is taking to recruit consultants, and do you have a view on the cost implications of that?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Shetland, NHS Eileanan Siar and NHS Orkney)

Meeting date: 23 May 2023

Tess White

I have two questions on consultants and a supplementary. My first question is for Michael Dickson.

At the end of last year, NHS Shetland had a vacancy rate of 39 per cent for medical and dental consultants, which is against a backdrop of 6.5 per cent for the whole of Scotland. In your submission, you stated that it is

“difficult to recruit consultants with the breadth of skills needed”

for a remote and rural location

“because the NHS no longer trains staff in that way.”

Can you say a bit more about that and can you give your view on how to overcome it?

Meeting of the Parliament

Mental Health Crisis

Meeting date: 17 May 2023

Tess White

Poor mental health is a serious public health challenge. Most of all, it can be very frightening and isolating for those who experience it.

The reality is that Scottish mental health services simply are not meeting existing levels of demand. Thousands of children and adults are on waiting lists, and thousands more are being rejected for mental health treatment after their initial referral. Furthermore, on the SNP’s watch, 1.5 million working days have been lost in the NHS due to mental illness since 2018.

There is a mental health crisis in Scotland. After 16 years at the helm, the SNP Government—along with its Green partners—must take full responsibility for the mismanagement of our mental health services.

Over the past year, I have been supporting a constituent in the north-east and her family whose horrendous story brings into sharp relief why the system must change.

After receiving successful treatment in a central belt mother and baby unit for postpartum psychosis, my constituent was sectioned in the Carseview centre in Tayside, where mental health services were so poor that they were subject to an independent inquiry by Dr David Strang.

The transition from perinatal mental health services to general adult services was abrupt and distressing. My constituent was separated from her children and her support system. She was very, very scared. She described the experience as being

“like living a nightmare; the whole experience just didn’t seem real.”

My constituent’s sister has been advocating on her behalf and has lodged a petition with the Scottish Parliament to improve maternal mental health services.

The Scottish Government must do better for women as they navigate motherhood. It is shocking that the mental health strategy mentions “women” only four times—and one of those is in a footnote. The strategy is gender blind, even though women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety as men.

The Scottish Conservatives believe that we need modern, efficient and local solutions for mental health care. For communities across Scotland and in the north-east, we want to see local delivery. I have raised the closure of the Mulberry unit for acute mental health care at Stracathro hospital numerous times with the Scottish Government. The unit closed because of insufficient staffing, which is a problem that we keep seeing in healthcare delivery in the north-east. Distressed and vulnerable patients in Angus now must travel many miles for mental health treatment. How can that be right?

I urge the Scottish Government to stop the platitudes and recycled policy pledges. It must get a grip on a crisis that is affecting thousands of people now and that will haunt thousands in the future if they do not get the care and treatment that they need.

16:34  

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Complex Mesh Surgical Service

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Tess White

[Inaudible.]—health boards to manage women with mesh complications?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Complex Mesh Surgical Service

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Tess White

I appreciate the acceptance that an 82-week wait is not acceptable, but what guidance is being given to health boards to manage women with mesh complications?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Complex Mesh Surgical Service

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Tess White

I am reminded of the woman who had to wait a year and a half for an urgent referral, so here is just a thought. Sometimes, GPs are unable to help women who require mesh removal. Would it be better for GPs to be able to refer directly to the CMSS, or is there another way to get through the seeming bottleneck?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Complex Mesh Surgical Service

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Tess White

I have two questions for you, minister. We have heard that one mesh-injured woman who has debilitating pain has been waiting for 82 weeks for an urgent referral. What guidance is being given to health boards to manage women who have mesh-related complications?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Complex Mesh Surgical Service

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Tess White

That was my first question. Secondly, at the committee meeting on 2 May, there was significant confusion about the referral pathway, so I would like to clear up that issue today. What work is being done to ensure that health boards follow the same referral pathways when mesh is identified as a factor?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Complex Mesh Surgical Service

Meeting date: 16 May 2023

Tess White

Thank you.

09:45