Chamber and committees

Picking up on Gillian Mackay’s point, I have been a type 1 diabetic since I was 12 years old, so I have been counting carbs since I was a wean. There are apps that can be used to look at that. It is not just about salt and sugar; it is about high-glucose-index versus low-glucose-index carbs. It is really complicated. Does Food Standards Scotland have, or would you look at having, digital support directly on your website to support the downloading of apps, for instance, so that folk such as Gillian and me could use diabetes dose adjustment for normal eating, which helps all type 1s to count carbs? That would be useful. Could Food Standards Scotland look at delivering that digitally?

Thank you. Talking of evidence and stuff like that, last week I was at a Quality Meat Scotland event in the Scottish Parliament, which was sponsored by Jim Fairlie MSP. Professor Alice Stanton gave a presentation on red meat. The red meat supply chain generates more than £2 billion annually for the Scottish economy. Professor Stanton, who is a cardiovascular pharmacologist from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, presented information to counter what has been published in The Lancet on what people’s red meat intake should be in a day—70g, which is two slices of roast meat or two sausages. She said that the information in The Lancet did not meet the criteria for proper scrutiny under the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses—PRISMA—guidelines, which relate to the global burden of disease. She suggested that the standard recommendation—70g of meat per day—which is repeated by everyone, had not been adequately researched.

Is Food Standards Scotland aware of Professor Alice Stanton’s information? Does it mean that the recommendations for red meat consumption need to be revised?

You talked about different local authorities and how they engage. Some local authorities are looking to sign up to the Plant Based Treaty and are talking about taking meat away from schools and care homes. Is that something that you are aware of? Would you endorse that? We have just talked about red meat and how the evidence base shows that people are required to have it as part of a balanced diet. Are you concerned about the Plant Based Treaty?

You mentioned Sporting Equals. What role does it have in the process?

Thank you.

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. My app froze for some reason. I would have voted no.

STPR2 makes a commitment to improve journey times, specifically on the Glasgow-Carlisle line. Can the minister comment further on how that commitment will be taken forward and on timescales for the changes being made? Improving that service from the current two-hour journey from Dumfries to Glasgow will allow more people to rely on public transport across the region and will attract people to Dumfries and Galloway, because the stations in the region could be key commuter lines to Glasgow.

To ask the Scottish Government how the strategic transport projects review 2 will improve rail infrastructure, journey times and rail connectivity across the South Scotland region. (S6O-01792)

As a former NHS employee in education and in the perioperative environment, I regularly hear from fantastic colleagues about what is happening on the ground. I am acutely aware of the challenges that our health and social care system faces, and I know the lengths to which staff are going to meet the unprecedented demands that they face.

I want to address the issues that Colin Smyth raised in relation to maternity services in Stranraer and dentistry. I know that he would have taken an intervention if there had been time. I raised the issue of maternity services directly with the cabinet secretary at Tuesday’s meeting of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. The cabinet secretary is aware that Maree Todd, the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, is addressing maternity issues and supporting the work of the action group, which includes Colin Smyth. The cabinet secretary has given a commitment to get back to me on some of the issues that I raised in committee on Tuesday. I am sure that, when I get those responses, we will be able to work together to support what works best for our constituents in the south of Scotland.

Edward Mountain made a comment about the national treatment centre only doing the easy cases. In my experience of orthopaedic surgery, it is sometimes easier to do five total joints in one day, as those are planned, predictable and manageable cases, than it is to do one very long and difficult loss-of-blood surgery that would take up the whole orthopaedic session. I make that point off the top of my head, but I might pursue the issue further down the line.

This is the most challenging winter that the Scottish NHS has ever faced. Immediate pressure will continue in the coming weeks. Christine Grahame talked about the fact that Covid is still stalking the corridors. I make a plea to people to get their Covid vaccine, if it is due and they are avoiding it, and to get their flu vaccine as well, because, ultimately, that will help to keep folk oot o the acute care beds. I think that many members across the chamber would agree with me on that.

The Labour Party might not like to hear this, but our NHS in Scotland is consistently performing better than the NHS in any other part of the UK, and our staff are paid a bit more.

The Labour motion talks about properly funding our Scottish health and care service. The Scottish Government is ensuring that all actions are being taken to support services, and additional measures outlined just this month are already having an impact in Dumfries and Galloway. The measures will help the NHS and the social care sector with on-going extreme winter pressure. Health and social care partnerships have received a share of £8 million to procure around 300 additional care home beds to help alleviate pressure—

What is being passed on to the NHS in Scotland is more than the consequentials that are being given to us. It is oor taxpayers’ money that is being divvied up by folk that we didnae even vote for. It is probably good that Jackie Baillie made that intervention.

In Dumfries and Galloway, thanks in no small part to the work of the health and social care partnership’s chief operating officer, Julie White, that support has enabled the board to discharge from hospital 25 people who were medically fit for discharge but whose discharge had been delayed. That was achieved in one week, and I congratulate Julie White and the teams on that success. I understand that the approach taken by Dumfries and Galloway health and social care partnership is being shared with other boards. I look forward to the update from Julie and the teams at NHS Dumfries and Galloway and the health and social care partnership and to hearing how that was achieved. If some boards can make it work, let us share the good practice and get it done.

In addition, NHS 24 is taking forward plans to recruit around 200 new starts before the end of March. In the run-up to Christmas, more than 40 whole-time equivalent call operators, call handlers and clinical supervisors were recruited, allowing for more people to be directed to the most appropriate care setting for them.

On funding more generally, the Scottish Government has committed in the budget more than £18 billion for health and social care. That is around 52 per cent of the overall budget for the Scottish Government. Again, we dinnae have control over what comes our way. I want to pick up on Emma Roddick’s points about employment law. It is really hard to manage what we would like to do when we constantly have a ball and chain roon the neck of this place.

I would like Labour to be a bit more realistic.