Committee
Public Petitions Committee 01 May 2012
01 May 2012 · S4 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
New Petitions
National Donor Breast Milk Bank (PE1426)
I declare an interest as, many years ago, I was a contributor to the milk bank at Yorkhill. Also, I believe that I know Councillor Brothers’s father from a number of years ago, when I was a councillor in Renfrewshire.I was interested in what was said about the lack of information and awareness, and I echo Mark McDonald’s point about a national network of milk banks.I note that there is informal liaison between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and other health boards, particularly NHS Lothian and NHS Ayrshire and Arran, which feed—pardon the pun—into the national milk bank in Glasgow.Jase Kelly’s voluntary service does fantastic work, and I know that it has purchased new motorbikes and so on in the past couple of months. However, if we are going to have a national milk bank, can we rely on a voluntary service, or would the service have to be brought in house?If we had a national network of milk banks, which would no doubt be based at the Southern general hospital, because the Yorkhill baby unit will be moved there in a couple of years’ time, how could we ensure that other areas, such as Inverness and Aberdeen, would get parity of access? As you said, at present, people who stay within an hour of Glasgow get priority.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Lab
Our second petition is PE1426, by Donna Scott, on a national donor breast milk bank service. Members have the clerk’s note, the Scottish Parliament informati...
Mark McDonald
SNP
Before we begin, convener, I declare that the petitioner, Donna Scott, is one of my constituents and that I know her and have been working with her on this i...
The Convener
Lab
Thank you for that. I ask Donna Scott to make her presentation, after which I will invite the committee to ask some questions.
Donna Scott
Good afternoon, convener and committee members.My petition relates to the unequal access to donor milk for babies across Scotland. Understanding of the value...
The Convener
Lab
Thank you for your evidence. You make a strong and compelling case. You mentioned the international evidence. What best practice can you identify—first, in t...
Donna Scott
Throughout the rest of the UK, the provision of donor milk is a patchwork. I cannot cite any examples, because services tend to operate in their own local ar...
The Convener
Lab
Have you identified any constraints on health boards, apart from money? Why are other health boards not looking at the milk bank as an excellent initiative o...
Donna Scott
Given Scotland’s population distribution, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has a larger number of babies who require neonatal care, and they are treated at York...
The Convener
Lab
Has there been any interest from the third sector or the co-operative movement? There seems to be an ideal opportunity for them to get involved in this devel...
Donna Scott
Not to my knowledge.
The Convener
Lab
Perhaps that is something that we can pursue as a committee.
Nanette Milne
Con
Thank you for your interesting presentation. As the convener said, you make a good case. Politicians inevitably think of money, and at present budgets are st...
Donna Scott
I have read estimates and my understanding is that to set up a new milk bank would cost about £200,000. That includes staff training, all the necessary infra...
Nanette Milne
Con
It strikes me that that cost is not enormous in terms of health service budgets. I do not know whether the Government has done any costings, but that is some...
Mark McDonald
SNP
Welcome to the committee, Donna. My first question is for Mr Kelly, who I know has been working with the Yorkhill milk bank to transport milk from donors to ...
Jase Kelly (Scottish Emergency Rider Volunteer Service)
ScotsERVS is a charity that operates throughout Scotland and transports any medical items that the NHS needs quickly. The NHS might be used to using other me...
Mark McDonald
SNP
There will be a certain window of time within which donated milk has to get from the donor to the bank or from the bank to the health board that requested it...
Jase Kelly
All our vehicles are specially adapted, and we have specialist refrigerated boxes. The boxes that the NHS supplied to us can only refrigerate for a maximum o...
Mark McDonald
SNP
Donna, I am aware that you took a large amount of milk to donate to the Glasgow milk bank, which I think was before ScotsERVS was involved. Will you expand o...
Donna Scott
My son was discharged from the neonatal unit at the end of April 2011. I was in the fortunate position of being able to fully breastfeed my son upon leaving ...
Mark McDonald
SNP
You spoke about the issues of demand and the difficulty in measuring demand in areas that do not offer a donor milk service. If the service is not there and ...
Donna Scott
Many people that I have spoken to—parents and non-parents—have said that they did not know that milk banks existed. People think that milk banks are a great ...
Mark McDonald
SNP
When we spoke to NHS Grampian, it stated that it would be interested in linking into a national service but that it would not be able to set up its own milk ...
Donna Scott
I have not.
Mark McDonald
SNP
The committee might want to take that up.
Sandra White
SNP
I declare an interest as, many years ago, I was a contributor to the milk bank at Yorkhill. Also, I believe that I know Councillor Brothers’s father from a n...
Jase Kelly
As you say, ScotsERVS is a voluntary organisation that relies on public generosity and companies sponsoring us to meet our costs for fuel, vehicles, repairs ...
Donna Scott
If there is to be true parity, some sort of contribution will have to be made by the other health boards as well, or we will need some central funding in ord...
The Convener
Lab
I think that this is an excellent initiative and I recommend to the committee that we continue the petition. I suggest that we write to the Scottish Governme...
Sandra White
SNP
I absolutely agree that we should continue the petition. We should write to the Scottish Government to find out its response to what the petition seeks. We s...