Chamber and committees

I understand the point that Roz McCall makes. The challenges that are faced on service provision around the country in areas of care in which a high degree of specialism is involved can be affected by movement of staff around the country and various other circumstances. Obviously, the health service works as hard as possible to minimise any disruption of such care. I recognise the seriousness of the point that Roz McCall puts to me.

One of the initial priorities of the women’s health plan is to improve access for women to appropriate support, diagnosis and the best treatment for endometriosis, and to improve the care pathways that are involved. The Government will focus on those particular issues, and I will look specifically at the issues relating to NHS Fife that Roz McCall has raised.

I associate myself with Mr Sarwar’s remarks in relation to remembrance day.

In relation to the situation in the national health service and the comments that he recounted from the Royal College of Nursing, I make it absolutely clear that the Government remains committed to, and willing to engage in, dialogue and negotiation with the Royal College of Nursing and the other affected and interested trade unions, as we have been doing for some considerable time. Notwithstanding the decisions that have been made by members of the RCN, we will continue that dialogue, and I commit the Government to that today.

In relation to workforce planning, we have record staffing levels in the national health service. Those staffing levels have been the product of sustained investment by the Government, despite the climate of austerity in which we have been operating for some considerable time. The Government will continue to sustain that investment to ensure that we have adequate staffing levels.

The Government is firmly restricted in what it can do by the financial context in which we are operating and by the pressures on the public finances. However, I assure Mr Sarwar and the Parliament that the Government will do everything in our power to properly support the health service workforce and ensure that we have adequate numbers of staff in our national health service.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I pay tribute to members of staff who are working phenomenally hard on the back of a pandemic that Mr Ross never mentioned and that has put a huge strain on our national health service. Staff in the national health service—the largest number of staff ever provided in the NHS, by this Government—are doing their level best to support the people of our country.

Climate change is identified as a strategic priority in the Scottish Government’s 2022 fire framework. The framework requires the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to invest in the provision of specialist resources and in technological advancements, and to undertake prevention and public awareness activity, to enhance its response to the increased flooding and wildfires that are associated with climate change.

The Government is responding to the full range of climate risks that have been identified for Scotland through its 2019 climate change adaptation programme, which sets out more than 170 policies and proposals to build resilience to the impact of global climate change as part of our just transition to net zero emissions by 2045. We are preparing our next programme in response to the most recent United Kingdom climate change risk assessment. That programme is to be published in 2024.

There are a range of points in the questions that Maggie Chapman’s poses. They are properly operational matters for the chief fire officer and the SFRS board in allocating the £352.7 million of budget provision that we make available to them, which looks at the whole range of improvements and enhancements that have to be made in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

I am aware that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service contaminants group is taking action across all aspects of operations to reduce exposure to harmful contaminants. I also understand that that group met Professor Anna Stec of the University of Central Lancashire to hear directly of the important research work that she is undertaking on these questions and to offer SFRS co-operation on that work.

We recognise that reliable and affordable transport to and from our islands helps to maintain thriving communities and local economies. That is why we provide significant funding to make air travel to our remote communities, including the islands, more affordable.

This year, we have allocated more than £77 million to support air services in the Highlands and Islands. That includes funding to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd to maintain its airports and funding for the air discount scheme, which provides island residents with a 50 per cent discount on fares to and from the mainland. It also includes a subsidy for the air services from Glasgow to Campbeltown, Tiree and Barra.

I will tell Douglas Ross about the situation that we are facing and experiencing. We have the best pay deal for health and care staff on offer in the United Kingdom; we have the best record of A and E performance of any health system in the United Kingdom; and we have record numbers of staff in the national health service.

What is not helping is the folly of Brexit, which has reduced the number of staff available, because of the loss of free movement.

The other fact that is not helping is that the United Kingdom Government is not recognising the public spending pressures that exist because of the inflation that it has fuelled by its stupid economic decisions. As a consequence, public budgets are under enormous pressure. If Douglas Ross wants to make himself useful, he can ask the United Kingdom Government to increase the budget for the Scottish Government, so that we can support the health service to a greater extent and start addressing the issues facing members of the public.

I recognise the seriousness of the issue that Liz Smith has raised, and I express my regret to anybody who has suffered as a consequence of the practice of Professor Eljamel. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has already met Liz Smith to discuss the issue, as she knows, and he has also met some of the people who have been affected by the actions of Professor Eljamel.

As Liz Smith will know, because the issues were professional ones that affected Professor Eljamel’s clinical practice, NHS Tayside commissioned a review from the Royal College of Surgeons into his practice and, as a consequence, restricted his clinical responsibilities.

The health secretary has made it clear to NHS Tayside that he expects it to meet the people who have been affected and, where possible, to answer any questions that remain unanswered, given the fact that the issues have already been thoroughly examined by the Royal College of Surgeons at the request of NHS Tayside.

In relation to the circumstances that Mr Ross has recounted, it is, of course, of the deepest concern that a member of the public has had to wait that long for access to an ambulance and to the accident and emergency department. I say to Mr Ross that the median time for the arrival of an ambulance is of the order of 45 minutes, so the circumstances that he has recounted are unacceptable.

There is congestion in A and E departments, which is caused by the volume of presentations and by the obstacle that is created by the number of patients who are in hospital but who should be discharged. That is a focal point of significant activity across Government: to ensure that we reduce delayed discharges. Indeed, the health secretary and I spent a significant amount of our time yesterday in discussion with partners about practical steps to address that.

In relation to the question of improvements in the national health service, the Government has invested £600 million in the winter resilience support package; we are helping to recruit 1,000 healthcare staff to support staff in their activities; and we are investing £50 million in urgent and unscheduled care, to help to improve A and E performance. When it comes to the progress that has been made, Mr Ross should be familiar with the fact that the longer waits for treatment are reducing significantly in relation to the two-year position, which was one of the priorities that was set by the health secretary.

I accept that there are challenges in the national health service, but I take the opportunity to pay tribute to the members of staff who are working phenomenally hard on the back of a pandemic that Mr Ross never acknowledged in its significance—[Interruption.]

Given the absolutely totally chaotic turmoil of ministerial resignations and dismissals in the United Kingdom Government, what a laughable proposition to put to me this morning!

I have been active in politics for many years and a member of parliament for a quarter of a century. We know that someone has run out of road when they start playing the man and not the ball on an issue, which is what Douglas Ross is doing just now. [Interruption.]