Chamber and committees

That the Scottish Parliament congratulates staff at the Vale of Leven Hospital for their innovative project to reduce the incidence of avoidable pressure ulcers due to what it sees as poor documentation and also the time spent recording duplicate information on patient care notes through the ABCD approach; notes that this won the Wounds UK Excellence Award at the recent Wounds UK conference in Harrogate; thanks those who developed the project, which was led by Heather Hodgson, Lead Nurse in Tissue Viability; understands that instead of registered nurses spending up to 45 minutes per shift on paperwork, this has been cut to just 10 minutes per shift allowing more time for direct patient care; further understands that the scheme has also reduced the incidence of pressure ulcers among patients, and notes that the method will now be rolled out across all NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde sites due to its success.

That the Parliament is deeply concerned by a new report from the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Social Services Council showing nearly half of all care services in Scotland had vacancies at the end of 2021; understands that the Staff Vacancies in Care Services 2021 report shows that the percentage of care services reporting vacancies increased to its highest level since these statistics were first published for the year 2016; recognises that the report found that at 31 December 2021, 47% of services reported vacancies, with the percentage of care services reporting vacancies having increased by 11% over the previous year alone; is worried that care homes for older people, housing support services, care at home services, care homes for adults, care homes for children and young people, secure accommodation services and residential special school care accommodation services all show as having a proportion of services with vacancies significantly above the national average for all care services; is concerned that the report shows 60% of services reported having nursing vacancies, which is an increase of 14% on the previous year; understands that 58% of services with vacancies reported having problems filling them, up 15% from the previous year, with the reported reasons given being too few applicants in general (60%), too few applicants with experience (57%), and too few qualified applicants (50%), and believes that urgent action is needed to avert what it sees as the worsening crisis in care services by delivering better terms, conditions and pay for all care workers.

That the Parliament welcomes a new exhibition in North Glasgow featuring local people in focus; notes that the Maryhill is Wonderful exhibition features photographs by Campbell Ramage, and is now available to view at the Maryhill Burgh Halls; understands that Campbell wanted to explore the area further and find out what was on his doorstep; notes that the project consists of dozens of black-and-white shots of local residents; believes that as part of the opening, some of the residents featured in the pictures came to the community hall to see the artwork on show; understands that while taking pictures, Campbell made new friends and has since ended up volunteering in the area with young people, and notes that the display is free to view until February 2023.

That the Parliament congratulates Susan Docherty on winning the Outstanding Contribution and Long Time Service award at the annual Spotlight Awards, which recognised the exceptional and outstanding contribution Ms Docherty has made to NHS 24 through her long-time service; understands that Ms Docherty was nominated due to her hard work over the last 20 years and is described as a personable individual who is always adaptive and willing to help all her colleagues; further understands that Ms Docherty feels very privileged to work with a fantastic team of people, and commends her on this achievement.

That the Parliament supports all efforts to achieve equality between men and women in the workplace; believes that this equality can be, in part, realised by facilitating the flexibility of work and family life for workers who are parents or carers; considers that the current baseline of two-weeks paid paternal leave in the UK is wholly inadequate; understands that recent EU legislation has created new statutory baselines for parental and carers’ leave; believes that Scotland should follow the example reportedly set by the EU, as it is currently falling behind the parental leave standards that neighbouring countries have fostered; applauds recent legislation passed in Denmark, which, it understands, allows the transfer of generous leave between parents and carers, and further applauds recent legislation in Spain, which, it understands, introduces mandatory minimum paid leave for both parents.

That the Parliament congratulates the Longhope Lifeboat Guild on raising an incredible £2,885.64 in the 2022 Lifeboat Bazaar for RNLI Longhope; notes that the Lifeboat Bazaar took place on 11 November 2022 in the YM Hall and was opened by new trainee Coxswain, Scott Johnston; understands that the annual Lifeboat Bazaar has become a key date in the calendar for locals and visitors alike, as well as members of the neighbouring island community in Flotta; further understands that the event involves an extremely well stocked raffle, fine teas and cakes and the traditional early visit from Santa; commends the support of local businesses, including Highland Park, Orkney Cheese James Wilsons Ltd, William Shearers, The Longship, NOV Flotta, Cooke Aquaculture, JMF Groat, Bob Simpson, Sodexto Flotta, The Orcadian Bookshop, Toumal Art Studio and Aurora Jewellery, who, it understands, all made generous donations towards the auction; thanks Guild members who volunteered their time to make the 2022 bazaar another hugely successful and enjoyable occasion; believes that the great fundraising effort highlights the importance of the lifeboat to the Longhope community and the esteem in which it is held, and pays tribute to the dedicated Longhope lifeboat crew, who demonstrate selfless bravery all year round in keeping those at sea safe.

That the Parliament recognises South Wishaw Parish Church for its holistic approach to the cost of living crisis; understands that Rev Terry Moran has opened the church doors to help those within the community who are currently struggling by providing a range of support, including a food bank, a warm space, signposting to financial services and a recovery hub for local people facing addiction issues; welcomes the many new Social Security Scotland benefits that have been rolled out across Scotland, targeting those who it considers need them the most; commends Rev Terry Moran, Street Connect support workers and volunteers for their dedication and time supporting the community, and wishes them all the best for the future

That the Parliament congratulates Growing Together, which runs within Fortune Works in Drumchapel, on winning Garden Centre of the Year at the Cultivation Street 2022 Awards; understands that the onsite facility, open five days a week, is partly run by service users with additional needs, teaching them about nature, biodiversity, and taking care of plants; considers that the garden gives benefits to those with disabilities, including the opportunity to be part of the community, gaining confidence and self-worth, becoming more independent, and learning new skills, and believes that the garden centre is only a part of the work Growing Together is doing locally as they support 117 adults with learning difficulties.

That the Parliament congratulates Cara Rose on being nominated as a finalist in the Scottish Jazz Awards in the Rising Star Award category; understands that Cara left school and studied song writing for three years at Glasgow’s Academy of Music and Sound; notes that over the years, Cara has performed at some of Glasgow’s most famous venues, including King Tut’s, the Old Fruitmarket and the Barrowlands; understands that the singer has over two million Spotify streams, and has just released tickets for her biggest show to date, a headline gig she has organised at Saint Luke’s, in the East End of Glasgow, and considers that voting for the Scottish Jazz Awards closes on 25 November 2022, with the winners announced at a ceremony on 8 December in Glasgow.

That the Parliament Congratulates The PEAK at Stirling Sports Village on winning the Facility of the Year 2022 award at the inaugural Scottish Leisure Network Group awards, which took place at the Inchyra Grange Hotel in Grangemouth on 17 November 2022; understands that the award comes after its being shortlisted as one of five operators for the award; believes that the award recognises facilities and their teams who have gone above and beyond, and made a notable impact in the community over the past twelve months; considers that during the COVID-19 pandemic, sport and leisure facilities across the UK were frequently disrupted, with closures and restrictions to operations, and since opening back up again have been focused on business recovery; believes that the awarding panel recognised what they saw as an immense performance that The PEAK undertook, in keeping operations running under extremely difficult circumstances, whilst simultaneously innovating with new studios, products, and programmes; notes that The PEAK as a facility was also recognised as a community hub, and the impact that the facility has on getting the community more active more often through integrated activities and programmes, delivered by Active Stirling’s teams: Sport, Physical Activity and Inclusion, Active Schools, Community Activation, and Employability and Health Referral across Stirling; further notes that Active Stirling has installed various new features to inspire customers over the last year, including a new all-inclusive high value £25 single membership at The PEAK, which includes unlimited access to over 130 weekly fitness classes, including Les Mills classes, gym, swim, skate, climb and play; acknowledges that The PEAK also functions as a unique community asset, with programmes and activities centred towards breaking down barriers to sport and physical activity, participation and that the award recognised the important work delivered by Active Stirling's School and Community teams, such as Women and Girls in Sport events, Recovery Community Olympics, Health Referral programmes, and inclusive activity such as Bikes Without Barriers, which is an adapted cycling programme providing free opportunities for adults in the community living with a disability to participate in cycling, and commends everyone involved and associated with The PEAK on their monumental achievements for the positive benefit of the entire community.