Meeting of the Parliament 05 December 2017
I thank those who signed the motion and, in particular, those who have stayed behind for the debate. I thank Sue Ryder for its support in the lead-up to the debate and, in particular, Elinor Jayne.
Over recent years, I have learned a great deal about the fantastic work that the Sue Ryder charity does, and I have a huge admiration for that work. Sue Ryder delivers high-quality, much-needed home care in my constituency of Stirling and around the country, and it also has a passion for improving care for people with neurological conditions in Scotland.
As we know, neurological conditions can affect anyone at any age and can turn people’s lives upside down by affecting their ability to move, to live the lives that they used to live, to look after themselves and their families, to work or to leave the house, or they can affect their mental health. The list of effects can go on and on. Such conditions include progressive conditions such as multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, and sudden ailments such as head injuries and stroke. All those conditions can have a devastating impact on the individual and their family, so I am delighted to support Sue Ryder in its campaign for better neurological care.
Indeed, that is incredibly important, as we are talking about a group of people who have a devastating condition that can affect every aspect of their lives. As if that was not enough, their condition can be coupled with care that may not always meet their individual requirements. Let us be clear that there is no question but that if you have a neurological condition, you should receive good quality, specialist care to try to manage what can be a complex condition.
One surprise for me in Sue Ryder’s research is that it revealed that we do not even know how many people in Scotland have a neurological condition, or where they live, which raises the question of how health boards and integration authorities can plan to provide services that meet those people’s needs. Sue Ryder’s first report revealed that health boards and local authorities did not know what neurological services they or their counterparts provided in many cases. Gathering such information means that people with neurological conditions and their families can be better advised on where to turn, for instance, for respite care or specialist speech and language therapy. In addition, people of all ages with neurological conditions have been placed in older people’s care homes when those are not the appropriate settings for them. That is simply not a sustainable solution, nor one that can adequately meet the needs of those who require specialist care.
The report also showed that the national clinical standards for neurological health services were not being met in a number of cases. I am delighted, therefore, that since Sue Ryder shone a light on where neurological care in Scotland can be greatly improved, the Scottish Government has listened and is acting. It is vital that everyone works together to design services that meet the needs of people with these complex, life-changing conditions. Coupled with the work that the Government’s national advisory committee for neurological conditions is doing to map neurological services in Scotland, there is now an opportunity to make a real difference. The recent welcome Government announcement, following dedicated and informed campaigning by Sue Ryder and others, that it will produce Scotland’s first ever action plan on neurological conditions, is a huge step forward. Not only that, having carried out a review of the existing neurological standards, Healthcare Improvement Scotland is rewriting them to encompass all health and care services for people with neurological conditions. All that is being done with a view to making those standards as person-centred as possible. That is good work and the agency should be applauded for it.
As the motion notes, it is important that the Scottish Government works with people with neurological conditions, the third sector and our health and care services to ensure that the new action plan and all the other work is a success. I know that that is the Government’s intention, so what now? It is important that all the Government’s goodwill is capitalised on. I would like a commitment that, once the action plan is published, it will be followed through to ensure that the new standards for neurological care are acted on and measured in a meaningful way. To help achieve that, I ask the Government to look at whether the necessary funding is available for appropriate organisations to enable successful delivery.
Integration authorities also need to be given support to provide care for this group of people, so I would like the Government to give consideration to another of the Sue Ryder recommendations, which is to provide commissioning guidance for neurological services. The process of reforming neurological care in Scotland will require dedication to, and support of, our integrated local health and social care services. I am confident that we can build a system of care that is fit for the future. Indeed, to its credit, the Scottish Government is trying hard to do that. All that we need to see now is action on the ground.
There is really only one way to ensure that some people with neurological conditions in Scotland no longer feel written off and are supported to live their lives as fully as possible.
In conclusion, I am determined that this is one area of care that should not be used as a political football for cheap political point scoring. It will take all of us working together, while recognising the very real challenges that exist, to achieve solutions. Let us just do that.
17:40