Meeting of the Parliament 20 March 2019
I, too, congratulate Pauline McNeill on securing the debate and on her co-chairing, with Clare Adamson, of the cross-party group on inflammatory bowel disease. I am a member of the cross-party group. I do not come with any great hinterland of experience of IBD, but I have found it fascinating. It does what good cross-party groups do: it engages in the political and policy debates, but it also gives MSPs access to the expertise of clinicians and those who work on the front line. As we have heard, it also gives us opportunities to hear at first hand about the day-to-day experiences of those who live with IBD. I vividly recall hearing from Joseph, whom Pauline McNeill mentioned. If he does not make it as the next Andy Murray, I would not be at all surprised to find him in the chamber at some point in the future, articulating his powerful arguments on this and many other subjects.
I will not rehearse again the figures that we have heard, but we must not lose sight of the prevalence of IBD in Scotland. We have the highest prevalence in the UK and the trend is upward, particularly in relation to paediatric onsets, which is putting huge pressure on services. However, we should not lose sight of the positives. There are advances in research, as Miles Briggs reminded us, and there is excellence in service delivery at the present time. There is also innovation through digital medicine and the like. So, there are positives, but there are also many challenges that we are yet to get on top of.
Monica Lennon and Alison Johnstone rehearsed very well the arguments around access to public toilets, which is obviously a key issue. Other themes that come up regularly in the cross-party group and that are mentioned in the briefings for the debate include the variations in access, which concern me. We are told in one of the briefings that urban areas generally enjoy better service provision that their rural counterparts. That might not come as any great surprise, but we clearly need to tackle and overcome the geographic barriers that exist. That might require a degree of creativity in how services are delivered, but there is no reason why there should be less access to good-quality services in rural areas than there is in urban areas.
I have also been struck by the variability in access to psychological services. As Clare Adamson reminded us, we are talking about a lifelong condition that can be painful, that is certainly debilitating and that is, for many people, invisible. It should come as a surprise to no one that the need for psychological and emotional support is often every bit as great as the need for medical support, particularly for those who are diagnosed at a younger age.
I note the appeal for greater shared decision making by patients and clinicians. That is good practice in any event but, given the nature of IBD and how it impacts individuals in a very particular fashion, that seems to be not just good practice but essential.
I was prompted to join the cross-party group by a friend who has had the condition for many years and has been an absolute hero in raising money for Crohn’s and colitis charities. I dread to think how many miles he has put in over the years—Angus’s knees have certainly suffered in the cause of supporting IBD sufferers—but it has clearly been well worth it not just to raise money but, as many colleagues have said, to raise awareness.
The first time that I heard about the condition was when I was working in London and a work colleague explained his experience to me. I remember feeling absolutely horrified, and it was obvious how difficult it was for him to have that conversation with me—indeed, with anyone. Things have moved on a bit since then, but, as Clare Adamson reminded us, the sense of stigma is certainly still there and IBD is still seen as an invisible disease. Debates such as this are, therefore, absolutely crucial, and it is all the more important that we keep the issue visible.
I thank and congratulate Pauline McNeill once again, and I acknowledge the tremendous work of Nancy Greig of Crohn’s and Colitis UK and everybody who is working to improve the lives of those living with the disease.
17:40