To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the role that clinical research has played in leading the country out of the Covid-19 pandemic, how it will support clinical research in the national health service to improve the care and treatment of patients with non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and stroke. (S6O-00524)

According to information that we have, NHS Lothian has said that the Government needs

“to further invest beyond the recommendations”.

We have heard a lot about the training, staffing and so on. I seek reassurance that there will be the continuous reassessment of the workforce and the investment that are needed. NHS Lothian talks candidly about the

“need to consider an increased staffing complement to ensure that education and training, clinical supervision and support are embedded as part of practice and held in the same parity as direct clinical care.”

That is about making sure that time for self-development and improvement is included in people’s working time.

I think that Mr Stewart is probably best suited to comment on that, but I am not sure.

I suppose that the witnesses—[Inaudible.]—very upsetting—[Inaudible.]—many of us. We heard of quite varying—[Inaudible.]—in terms of how the services are set up for people who, I am sad to say, know that they are going to give birth to a stillborn baby, and for the important moment when they have to have that conversation with healthcare professionals. What improvements are being made to ensure that parents are consistently treated with compassion across the country and in every health board, and that they are not being retraumatised when they access services later on? They are a very vulnerable group of people, so I would like to know what we are doing to drill down into those issues and to help them consistently, irrespective of where they live.

You spoke a lot about women there, but there are also fathers to consider. Another message that has come out in the evidence is that it should be ensured that fathers are included.

All sorts of trauma can happen during pregnancy that can make women reticent on subsequent visits to the unit. Such trauma does not always result in the sad loss of a baby. What are we doing to ensure that the mental health of women who have experienced significant trauma is taken into account in the perinatal period?

That is great—thanks.

Cat Berry, who was one of the witnesses at last week’s meeting, suggested that the timescales for implementation of the specialist baby loss units can and should be shortened. Do you think that that is possible, Ms Todd?

Is the sound better now?

I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests: I am a member of Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership.

Six months ago, when Scotland’s shocking drug death statistics for 2020 were first released, Nicola Sturgeon promised to get a grip on the crisis and pledged an additional £250 million to tackle the drug deaths emergency over the next five years. Last week’s budget announced that there would be £147.6 million to address the twin public health emergencies of drug deaths and the harms from alcohol. That included £61 million specifically to address the national tragedy of drug deaths, as part of a commitment to invest £250 million over the lifetime of this Parliament. The figure for the same thing in the budget for 2021-22 was £145.3 million. If we adjust the budget for inflation, that means that services are facing a real-terms cut of about £2.5 million. The First Minister pledged to get it right and to provide funding. Where is the additional £250 million that was promised?

A 21-year-old constituent has contacted me about something that, I hope, the First Minister can clarify. She asked:

“Am I being stupid? Pubs and restaurants have to socially distance and you can’t order at the bar, but you can still go to a nightclub.”

What are the recommendations for the already hard-hit hospitality sector, given the on-going and specific pressures on nightclubs?

The shocking review reveals the completely inadequate level of care that is given to youngsters with hearing difficulties in NHS Lothian. The families deserve an explanation of how the scandal happened. Sadly, the critical failings have a lifelong and significant impact on the young people and their families. I am pleased that NHS Lothian has accepted all the recommendations from the BAA report, but I am concerned that the problem could happen elsewhere.

As has been mentioned, the National Deaf Children’s Society is calling for an independent review of children’s audiology services across Scotland, which is more than the cabinet secretary has stated today he will do. There is a real danger that many more deaf children will not get good-quality care unless the review is carried out across all our services in Scotland. When will such a review take place?