Chamber and committees

Some of the substance of Bill Scott’s response will be interrogated—I know that that is the wrong word, but I am struggling to think of another—by the deputy convener later. I will move first to follow-on questions from Graeme Dey.

Bob Doris has a brief supplementary on this thread.

You are okay at the moment, Mr Doris. I am trying a new approach today.

Does Bill Scott want to come in on that?

Thank you very much, Pam.

We move to questions, starting with Ruth Maguire.

I call Stephanie Callaghan.

I recognise that that is what we want, but, unfortunately, what is being felt on the ground is some way from that. We need to accept what is actually happening.

My colleague Craig Hoy said that the final years of a person with dementia’s life should be years of comfort and support for them and their friends and families, which goes some way to addressing Mr Doris’s point. We have spoken about the changing roles in families in which a family member has dementia.

Mr O’Kane spoke about developments in his area that help communities to have inclusive spaces and allow people to stay in their own homes for longer, which is important.

Local initiatives are often vital for those suffering with dementia. I want to talk about a brilliant organisation in my region that is close to my heart. Dementia Friendly Pentlands is a voluntary organisation covering Juniper Green, Currie and Balerno, where we have an ageing population and an older demographic. It supports families who are living with dementia and it was set up by two inspiring people: Allister McKillop and Kay Latimer.

The idea was born out of a desire to give people who are living with dementia a stronger presence in their local communities by building communities that are safe, supportive, strong and resilient enough to support people living with dementia and their carers. Creating a community where all are included, where everyone can experience a sense of belonging and where all can express themselves is critical to the efforts of Dementia Friendly Pentlands.

Christine Grahame spoke passionately about many initiatives in the Borders.

Dementia Friendly Pentlands has a community cafe called the Meeting Place, which has just celebrated its one-year anniversary. Rather than placing those living with dementia in a dementia-only environment, the Meeting Place actively encourages all those aged 65 and over to drop in, which ensures that the cafe is truly inclusive. Although I am not over 65, I visited the cafe last summer for its platinum jubilee party, which was also attended by young people from the local primary school. There were lots of cakes and there was singing. On other occasions when I have been, there has also been curling. It is not played on ice but with little discs and things—it is good fun. The point is to make everyone have fun in the moment and forget some of the challenges that they are facing.

Let us not lose sight of the fact that serious action is needed to improve outcomes and boost research into this condition. The Scottish Government must review its approach to dementia care and pull out all the stops to tackle this horrible disease. We will support the Scottish Government’s motion, but having a world-leading commitment is not enough. Carol Mochan said that having strategy after strategy is not an alternative to action. Commitment is not enough; the issue is about delivery and helping those with dementia now.

Will the minister give way?

I am pleased to have the chance to close the debate for the Scottish Conservatives. As we have heard, dementia is a debilitating condition that more than 90,000 people in Scotland live with. It has been among the leading causes of death in Scotland for several years, and research by Marie Curie found that, by 2040, the number of people dying from dementia, as the main underlying cause of death, is expected to rise by a staggering 185 per cent.

In his opening remarks, the minister reminded us that there is no cure for dementia and that people can live with it for decades. It is really important that we give those people the best possible quality of life. No one disagrees that people in social care with dementia have complex needs. We have heard testimony from members across the chamber who have direct experience of loved ones in that position. People in social care with complex needs must often pay more than other residents. Even though some Scots pay up to £69,000 a year for social care associated with dementia, the Scottish Government has taken no direct action on the issue. Marie Curie, the Alzheimer’s Society and Care Home Relatives Scotland have called for an end to that policy and the Scottish Conservatives have pledged to review the fees that people who are suffering from dementia have to pay for social care.

As well as sharing her personal experience, Tess White mentioned the fact that we have an ageing population in Scotland, but we also have a chronically underresourced social care system and a social care recruitment crisis. We hear that in many of the healthcare debates that we have in the chamber. She said that we are not equipped to deal with the situation, yet the SNP Government has cut £65 million from primary care and £70 million from social care, both of which offer crucial support to people who are suffering from dementia. My colleague Sandesh Gulhane talked about dementia link workers; that is a tangible, practical example of what that money could fund.

Statistically, one in three of us will be directly or indirectly impacted by dementia in our lives. People with dementia are still very much part of the community, and we must treat them with dignity and respect. I recognise the minister’s comments about the language that is used. However, the reality is that if we ask families about “living with dementia”, we find that they do not recognise that term. I am sorry, but they feel as though they are suffering with dementia due to the reduced hours of care, the shortage of care staff, the absence of overnight care, the lack of respite provision, which Alex Cole-Hamilton and Martin Whitfield mentioned, and the lack of local council facilities. The minister has stated that support should be person centred, accessible and available but, sadly, that is not the reality on the ground.

There are well-documented issues with paediatric audiology services in NHS Lothian. Constituents of mine have a four-year-old daughter who suffers from progressive hearing loss and has been waiting for more than 20 weeks for an assessment at the paediatric audiology service at Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. To my dismay, the family have now been told that they must wait a further 11 months for any assessment for their daughter, who is currently 778th on the waiting list. I hope that that is not too uncomfortable for either the First Minister or the health secretary to hear.

With progressive hearing loss, a quicker assessment can mean a much better outcome and life for Annika and other children like her. What will the First Minister say to Annika and her family while they wait—and wait—for what would be almost a quarter of Annika’s life?