Chamber and committees

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote manufacturing in Scotland. (S6O-00293)

Good morning. I am interested in issues around total versus partial mesh removal. Some of the procedures are quite complicated and subsequent surgeries might be required. Does the bill cover the wider requirements of women who need concomitant surgeries?

We heard earlier about a person who needed additional time because of a pre-existing condition that needed to be managed with constrained thrombolytic therapy. If somebody required additional time because of additional health conditions, would that be included, too?

Greig Chalmers has already alluded to this issue. The financial memorandum says:

“It is expected, upon establishment of a scheme, that all applications will be made within one year of the scheme opening.”

I presume that that is because the scheme will be advertised on social media and because you will know who has had mesh implant surgery. Is the one-year timeframe narrow, or do you think that it is reasonable?

Does the First Minister agree that it is safe to have both the flu vaccine and the Covid booster at the same vaccination appointment—given that many other vaccines are co-administered in that way—and that co-administration will help to expedite the winter flu and third-dose Covid programmes? I remind members that I am part of Dumfries and Galloway’s vaccination team.

As co-convener, with Beatrice Wishart, of the cross-party group on mental health, which is supported by SAMH, I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate, and I congratulate my colleague Paul McLennan on securing it.

World mental health day, which is on 10 October this year, will focus on the theme of mental health in an unequal world. That is hugely important in ensuring that mental health is on the national agenda. It is also crucial to work on tackling the stigma that is associated with mental health and educating people that it is, indeed, okay not to be okay and to seek help and support. We need to remind people of that.

Covid-19 has changed all aspects of our lives, but it has also brought people and communities closer together. It has placed greater emphasis on supporting local businesses, on helping one another, and on the importance of kindness. It is really important to be patient and kind. The pandemic has allowed for a far greater understanding of the need to take mental health seriously and to have a society that puts the wellbeing of its citizens first and foremost.

I have pursued the issue of supporting the mental health of our front-line health and social care staff over the course of the pandemic. Being a member of NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s vaccination team has allowed me to hear directly from front-line staff and the public about the very real challenges that everyone is facing.

I am pleased that, since the beginning of the pandemic, the Scottish Government has provided more than £18 million, which includes support for NHS workers through £1.2 million for computerised cognitive behavioural therapy. I encourage the minister to ensure that those services continue to be available and are expanded on a needs basis, if that is required.

Across my South Scotland region and nationally, there are many examples of fantastic, hard-working groups that are dedicated to supporting all those who are concerned about their mental health. I have worked with many mental health organisations to promote the importance of positive health and wellbeing. They include organisations in rural and agricultural Scotland, such as the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution, the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs, Dumfries and Galloway farmers choir, SAMH, Support in Mind Scotland and the Scottish Mental Health Partnership. All provide support to anyone who is concerned about their mental health and wellbeing, including people who are affected by inequality. [Interruption.] I do not really have time to give way. I want to proceed, because I have a couple of important points to make.

I thank each and every one of those organisations for all the work that they continue to do, particularly in these circumstances.

The impact of the pandemic on mental health has been highlighted well in the Scottish Government’s mental health tracker study, which contains some interesting information. In particular, the report indicates that more than a third of the sample reported high levels of psychological distress, a quarter reported levels of depressive symptoms, and nearly a fifth reported anxiety symptoms of a similar level. Approximately a tenth of the sample reported having suicidal thoughts in the past week, and a fifth of young adults reported suicidal thoughts. The report suggested that particular groups in our population were at elevated risk—specifically, women, young adults, people with pre-existing mental health conditions, and individuals from a lower socioeconomic background.

Finally, I want to raise awareness of the HelloYellow campaign. Thousands of people in schools, offices and communities across Scotland, including in Dumfries and Galloway, will be wearing yellow on Friday to raise awareness of the work of YoungMinds and child and adolescent mental health services, which are fighting for young people’s mental health needs. I congratulate them and encourage all to consider participating in the HelloYellow campaign—#HelloYellow—to raise awareness of mental health issues.

Again, I welcome the debate and I remind everyone that it is okay not to be okay and that support and help are out there.

As the cabinet secretary knows, HMP Dumfries is one of the oldest functional prisons in Scotland and has of the smallest prison populations. Does HMP Dumfries have facilities similar to those of other prison campuses in Scotland, and can the cabinet secretary give a commitment that the welcome £500 million of investment in Scotland’s prison estate will not leave out HMP Dumfries’s staff and residents?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its £500 million of funding to modernise the prison estate, including any updates to HMP Dumfries. (S6O-00236)

Does that affect the labelling of products as well? Health-harming products might contain certain chemicals that are used in food production. I note that NFU Scotland is calling for clear country-of-origin labelling. Do the provisions in the bill bleed into those issues?

I will be quick. What are the cabinet secretary’s concerns about professional regulation? Our briefing paper says that the UK Government recognises that it might want to reform

“the overarching system of healthcare professional regulation.”

Are there concerns about that? Obviously, we have our own healthcare workforce that we need to support, look after and protect.