Meeting of the Parliament 06 January 2015
I, too, welcome the minister to his new post. He should take in good spirit the robust exchanges that we have heard from a number of members, which should ensure that we learn from the challenges that we face. The minister should take on board the fact that some of the measures in the current mental health strategy that need to be met have not been met, and there is no doubt that the Government should include in future parliamentary business the opportunity for us to revisit the debate that we have had today so that we can take the issues forward.
I hope that, in his closing remarks, the minister will show humility in recognising that some of the challenges that the Government faces have not been met and that he will tell us how he intends to address that at an early stage. I appreciate how complex the area is, but we must recognise that the patient experience is not always as positive as it should be. Whatever measures could be put in place to improve the situation would be welcomed.
Like other members, I recognise the dedication of the staff who treat people who have mental health conditions. Those staff are to be commended for their good work. Over the years, I have dealt with many members of staff who have shown absolute dedication in what is a complex area, in facing challenges in terms of resources and in the bureaucracy in the system. Nevertheless, we should recognise that there are cases of mistreatment or misdiagnosis, and that those who are treated by health professionals do not always get the treatment that they should get. People find themselves in the bureaucratic process of making complaints because they are concerned that their condition has not been dealt with as well as it could have been.
I want to raise the particular case—it is similar to the case that Malcolm Chisholm raised—of a constituent who visited me just last month. She suffers from a bipolar condition and contacted me to say that she had a prescription from the NHS centre for integrative care at the homoeopathic facility in Glasgow. She had been a nurse for over 30 years, but had had to give up work in order to get treatment to get better and to get back to the job. Her new treatment has been working well and she is beginning to return to the state that she was in previously.
However, in a situation that is similar to that which Malcolm Chisholm described, her GP refused to give her the repeat prescription that she requested. Because of that, her condition has deteriorated. I find that to be unacceptable. It could be that, as in the case that Malcolm Chisholm described, my constituent’s GP has not been able to refer her to services because they are not available.
To me, that is a clear case of a patient experience that has gone wrong unacceptably. My constituent’s condition has now deteriorated, and she is currently going through the bureaucracy of pursuing an official complaint. I ask the minister, in his new role, to ensure that he takes on board such real-life patient experiences so that we can take action.
I ask members to support the Government motion and the amendments that have been lodged.
17:03