Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 22 January 2015
22 Jan 2015 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
National Health Service 2020 Vision
Mr Stevenson is absolutely right. That is a challenge, and a lot of work has been done on prescribing practices, because we know that some of the prescribing practices for existing antibiotics have exacerbated cases of C difficile. There has been a lot of research and there is now better awareness of how antibiotics influence the patient safety programme, which has been very successful indeed.
The on-going challenges over winter demonstrate the need for our NHS to be flexible and responsive in providing care, and that tells us why integration is key to meeting the needs of individuals, their carers and other family members. The issue of seven-day services that is mentioned in the Labour amendment is one that we are absolutely on top of. We have been working for the past year on seven-day sustainable services. The task force on seven-day services has done excellent work and its emerging conclusions about how we shape the workforce in the NHS and get the capacity in the right place to deliver sustainability for the future will be vital. I am sure that members across the chamber will agree that it would be more sensible to await the task force’s conclusions so that we can make informed decisions about how to best achieve seven-day sustainable services.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
Good afternoon. The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-12120, in the name of Shona Robison, on the 2020 vision, the strategic forward direction ...
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport (Shona Robison)
SNP
Almost three months into my job as Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, I start my speech by saying how proud I am of Scotland’s NHS. In the pa...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
The cabinet secretary rightly plays up how we are better controlling infection in hospital, but does she recognise the challenge that medicine faces due to t...
Shona Robison
SNP
Mr Stevenson is absolutely right. That is a challenge, and a lot of work has been done on prescribing practices, because we know that some of the prescribing...
Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab)
Lab
When will the task force report, and when was it expected to report?
Shona Robison
SNP
As I understand it, the interim report is due shortly, after which we will get the full report. I am happy to give a commitment to bring that back to Parliam...
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Shona Robison
SNP
In a minute. Winter planning continues to play an integral role in the Scottish Government’s national unscheduled care programme. The Scottish Government an...
Shona Robison
SNP
NHS boards review their winter performance every year. We know that the main pressures over the 2013-14 winter period were from bed days lost to delayed disc...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
Ms Marra, will you please sit down?
Jenny Marra
Lab
I was hoping that the cabinet secretary would give way.
Shona Robison
SNP
I will in a minute, if you just bide your time. Health and social care integration is the most significant change for health and care since 1948. It is inte...
Jenny Marra
Lab
I just want to follow up on Malcolm Chisholm’s point. I understood that the task force was going to report bimonthly. Can the cabinet secretary clarify that?
Shona Robison
SNP
The task force will report when it has reached its conclusions. As I said to Malcolm Chisholm, the interim report is due soon, and I am happy to bring the ta...
Jenny Marra
Lab
Will the cabinet secretary give way?
Shona Robison
SNP
In a minute. I have agreed with COSLA that we will expect the new money to deliver key integration outcomes that take us closer to the 2020 vision and are b...
Jenny Marra
Lab
I heard the minister’s remarks on television about discharging patients within 72 hours, and we know that the clinical advice is that that is safer. Is the G...
Shona Robison
SNP
The two-week target comes in from April. However, two weeks is too long for most patients and therefore the integrated partnerships will have an ambition to ...
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the cabinet secretary’s remarks about the 2020 vision, which, as she knows, Labour has supported from its inception. I also give a cautious welcome...
Shona Robison
SNP
I find it hard to accept that that is the case, given that one of the biggest changes that is to be made, as I laid out in some detail, is the integration of...
Jenny Marra
Lab
I agree that the integration of health and social care will be the biggest catalyst, and the money that the cabinet secretary announced is welcome. However, ...
Shona Robison
SNP
Is Jenny Marra aware that the so-called portakabin, which is a clinical area, was first opened 10 years ago? If that so-called portakabin was good enough to ...
Jenny Marra
Lab
It is worrying that SNP back benchers applaud the severe situation. Last week I went through, board by board, the capital investment that our NHS needs just ...
Jackson Carlaw (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
I begin by acknowledging the comments that others have made. It is now accepted that all parties in this Parliament are committed to an NHS in Scotland that ...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
I apologise for intervening so early, but this is quite important—the member might agree with me. It is very revealing that the United Kingdom Independence P...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I am not sure that you can speak on behalf of UKIP, Mr Carlaw.
Jackson Carlaw
Con
Of course I will not. I obviously cannot respond to every barking mad tendency in the United Kingdom, but I can confirm and underwrite the commitment that th...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
We now move to the open debate. I remind members that we have a bit of time in hand, so if they wish to take interventions, they should feel free to do so. W...
Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP)
SNP
This debate is an opportunity for the Parliament to share in the 2020 vision for Scotland’s national health service. That vision is not owned by politicians ...
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
Does Bob Doris not understand that the reduction in acute beds was to have been matched by an increase of care in the community? Indeed, that is something th...