Chamber and committees

Thank you. I do not know whether anyone wants to come back in on any of that.

To ask the First Minister, in light of the Scottish Government’s plans to open the first safe drug consumption room in Glasgow later this year, what assurances he can provide that other areas of drugs policy, including spaces for residential rehabilitation, will not be deprioritised. (S6F-02748)

Residential rehabilitation is a vital way to help drug users not just to beat addiction but to get their lives back, yet the most recent figures show that the numbers of people starting at places in those facilities fell to their lowest in more than two years. We know that there are not fewer people addicted to drugs, so why have the numbers of those receiving that type of help reduced? Can the First Minister assure those vulnerable people that his Government will not oversee a further reduction in places?

When will a full business and regulatory impact assessment be published? I know that the minister said that she would not consider exemptions, but will she consider exemptions for nephrops trawlers, creels and scallop dredgers?

To ask the Scottish Government whether fishing in the Firth of Clyde will be suspended in 2024, in line with the cod spawning season. (S6O-02992)

I do not have time. I have a lot to say and I am in my final minute.

The consequences of those systemic problems are that our excellent NHS staff cannot deliver the care that they want to deliver, and patients are left waiting days, weeks, months and sometimes even years for the treatment that they need. One thing is certain: the crisis in our NHS cannot go on like this. Our vision is for a modern, efficient and local Scottish health service that is accessible to all.

We all admire the dedication and hard work of NHS staff. Whatever help we need, they go to incredible lengths to keep us healthy, and we owe them our thanks for the work that they do. However, despite the amazing efforts of NHS staff, Scotland’s health service is in crisis.

Staff have been let down by the lack of support from the SNP Government. Systemic problems in our NHS have driven excellent nurses and doctors to breaking point. No matter how hard they work, they cannot give every patient the care that they deserve any more. That is the grim reality of Scotland’s NHS under the SNP’s leadership.

There is a crisis at practically every level of the NHS. Years of sub-par plans from the SNP, including Humza Yousaf’s flimsy NHS recovery plan, have seen the situation in our NHS spiral out of control. The SNP will blame the pandemic, but the reality is that most of these problems were already apparent before Covid; the pandemic only made them worse.

The situation in the NHS right now is that waiting times in A and E have hit record worst-ever levels. The treatment time target for A and E is four hours. However, since this session of Parliament began, that target has been missed more than 1 million times. That does not just inconvenience people, it costs lives. Last year, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said that one extra death occurs for every 72 patients who wait more than eight hours in A and E. Based on those figures, more than 1,400 people lost their lives because of A and E waiting times just to the end of September last year.

The problems at A and E have sent the ambulance service into crisis, too. Ambulances are regularly forced to queue for hours outside hospitals before they can admit a patient and get back out on the road. The consequence is people waiting absurdly long times for ambulances—even up to 15 hours.

And the issues do not end there. People are often leaving treatment until it becomes an emergency and they need to attend A and E or get an ambulance because they have not been able to get a GP appointment. They cannot get an appointment quickly because there are simply not enough GPs. The SNP’s poor workforce planning has left GPs struggling to meet demand. The British Medical Association says that we need another 1,000 GPs to plug gaps. The SNP promised to increase GP numbers, but it is going in the wrong direction.

That is not the only broken promise from the SNP on Scotland’s NHS. Perhaps most damaging has been its failure to end delayed discharge, which the Deputy First Minister said it would do nine years ago. The consequences of failing to meet that promise have been huge. Almost 2,000 beds are occupied every day due to delayed discharge.

Neither is the SNP’s failure to recruit more GPs the only serious workforce issue in Scotland’s NHS. Spending on agency staff has quadrupled in two years, there are more than 5,000 nursing vacancies in NHS Scotland, and staff turnover is at its highest rate in a decade.

I am fine with that, convener. Thanks very much, panel.

Good morning, panel. Jan, you mentioned in your opening remarks that there are still people out there who do not know who to contact about human rights issues. What is the reason for that? How can it be addressed?

I start by thanking Clare Adamson for bringing the debate to the chamber. I did not know much about the subject until I looked into it a wee bit more, but she made a truly emotional, personal and brave contribution, and I wish her, her family and her son Aidan well.

CRPS is an uncommon neurological disorder. It plagues those who have it with chronic pain that is felt mostly in the limbs, although it can affect the whole body. It is believed that 16,000 people across the UK suffer from the condition, which is poorly understood despite having been medically recognised in some form for more than 150 years.

Notably, the condition can affect anyone, regardless of their age. As we have heard, it can be brought on by an accident or an injury. According to NHS Scotland, CRPS often improves incrementally over time in some people; however, in others, the pain lasts for years. Often, that pain can be intense and debilitating, affecting everything from motor functions to the overall quality of someone’s life.

Because of our limited understanding of the complexity that surrounds CRPS, treatment requires a multidisciplinary plan. According to NHS Scotland, there are four main types of treatment option, which, typically, involve multiple physicians because of CRPS’s complexity: psychological support; pain relief; physical rehabilitation; and self-education and management. Although they do not offer a complete solution, the treatments that are available today offer some relief, as the understanding of and research into CRPS continue to improve.

Raising awareness of CRPS is key to better understanding the disorder and improving the quality of life for the people whom it plagues. As is set out by Burning Nights, individuals who live with CRPS should follow the guidelines of the Royal College of Physicians.

As we have heard, November each year is CRPS awareness month, which the Scottish Parliament has celebrated for years. Likewise, there is no better place to help to shed light on the disorder than here at the Scottish Parliament.

Apart from helping to raise awareness, I also take the opportunity to highlight the wonderful work that is done by volunteers and people working across Scotland in service of this cause, including groups such as Burning Nights and CRPS UK. I thank them for the invaluable work that they do to offer community-oriented support. These groups provide education and empathetic spaces, and they put patients at the heart of everything that they do. Not only are patients behind their work, but the groups are also actively led by patients, along with care givers. That approach allows for those who suffer from CRPS to improve their own lives and those of others from a position of first-hand experience.

CRPS is poorly understood, and many people are not even aware that the disorder exists. Despite that, treatment and support have been able to make a positive difference for some sufferers. Keeping individuals with the disorder at the heart of treatment is crucial to any conversation that is had on the topic. Patient-led consultations and community spaces are central to treatment approaches and to increasing CRPS awareness among the public.

Once again, I take the opportunity to thank Clare Adamson for bringing the issue to the chamber.