Meeting of the Parliament 05 December 2017
I congratulate Bruce Crawford on securing today’s debate.
Like other members, I have seen Sue Ryder’s work at first hand—in my case, because of its excellent work at Dee View Court, in Aberdeen, which is in the minister’s constituency. It has been inspiring to see the facility develop over the years and to hear from its users and their families about the quality of their experiences there—I am sure that Maureen Watt will vouch for that.
Sue Ryder’s “Rewrite the Future” reports on the state of neurological care in Scotland have made an important contribution, identifying gaps in the provision of care and what must to be done to fill them.
For 13 years, Dee View Court has provided care for people with multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, cerebral palsy and acquired brain injury, enabling residents to live as independently as possible in shared houses and to feel that they are still part of the local community. There are spaces for only 24 residents, which means that many people in the north-east who need expert care and supported living are not able to take advantage of Dee View Court’s excellent facilities. In that context, a waiting list is partly a problem of success; nonetheless, it is a problem for those concerned. Too many people under 65 are in older people’s care homes in Aberdeen, as is the case elsewhere.
That is why, earlier this year, Sue Ryder launched a campaign to raise £3.9 million to build a new wing at Dee View Court, to accommodate an additional 20 residents. I am pleased that, last week, Sue Ryder was able to announce that the campaign had raised its first £1 million, just five months after being launched. That is a great achievement by Sue Ryder and good news for people in the north-east who are affected by neurological conditions.
The support that is provided at specialist facilities such as Dee View Court is important to residents and their families. Our wider health and social services must also be equipped to provide the care that people need if they are to treat or manage their symptoms and live independently in their own homes. Sue Ryder’s first “Rewrite the Future” report, which was published last year, found that six of Scotland’s 14 regional health boards either had no current plan for providing neurological health services to their population or were unable to say whether such a plan was in place. It is worrying that when Sue Ryder updated its report this year, the number of boards that were unable to report positively had increased from six to nine.
The Scottish Government’s commitment to developing a national action plan on neurological conditions is welcome, but, as with all such plans and strategies, actions matter more than words. As Alan Milburn said in another context at the weekend, ultimately what counts is not what the Government says but what it does. The Scottish Government has promised that the first national action plan on neurological conditions will be published in summer. I hope that the minister can confirm that today.
I also hope that the minister will confirm that additional resources will be provided to health boards to allow them to take the actions that are required under the action plan, and that resources will be related to levels of need. The incidence of multiple sclerosis in the Aberdeen area is one of the highest in the world, and general year-on-year funding of NHS Grampian is lower than it should be under the NHS Scotland resource allocation committee formula. It would do no favours to anyone in the north-east to impose additional spending requirements on NHS Grampian without also increasing the resources available to meet those needs.
Sue Ryder will continue to campaign for improved care for people with neurological conditions. It will have the support of members of this Parliament in doing so, and I am confident that we will soon be congratulating the charity on reaching its next million-pound milestone as it raises funds for the very welcome expansion of Dee View Court.
l look forward to continued co-operation between all parties in the Parliament, the Government and Sue Ryder itself in delivering the quality of care that people with neurological conditions require.
17:49