Hansard

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak in the debate. First, I take the opportunity to lend my support to cervical screening awareness week. Cervical screening, which is also known as smear testing, is life saving. However, many people find the test difficult for a variety of reasons including anxiety and previous trauma. Indeed, over a quarter of those who are invited to take the test do not take up their invitation.

It is also concerning that figures from Public Health Scotland show that, in 2019-20, there was a lower uptake of cervical screening among those from more deprived areas. That is why campaigns such as cervical screening awareness week are so important. I would like to hear from the Government how it will work to close the gap between the most and least deprived areas when it comes to cervical screening.

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has launched its own campaign for the week, which aims to encourage open conversation about cervical screening and to issue clear guidance to women and people with a cervix on how to access vital support that they may need. I urge people to visit its website for more information.

In the coming months, as more people in Scotland are vaccinated and we look to carefully ease restrictions, there will be an opportunity for us all to reflect on our experiences of the pandemic. We can immediately recognise the invaluable role that women have played and continue to play in protecting the national health service against the virus. Many health and social care professions in Scotland—and indeed the world—are dominated by women. We must not lose sight of the key role that women have played in caring for some of the most vulnerable people in society and treating people for this deadly disease.

However, we cannot wait until the pandemic has passed to have an urgent and renewed focus on improving women’s health. The advocacy group Engender has issued a stark warning that there is concern that women’s health problems are being

“dismissed, underestimated and diagnosed late.”

I make it clear that the Scottish Conservatives are committed to ensuring that women’s health and wellbeing needs are met across their whole lifetime. As we heard from the minister, women make up half of the population, yet as a society we often avoid talking about many of the health issues that they face. That must change.

In the light of those concerns, the Scottish Conservatives have welcomed the Government’s commitment to a women’s health plan, and we look forward to carefully scrutinising it following its publication.

In the debate a fortnight ago on the NHS recovery plan, I said that, as our healthcare service is remobilised following Covid, we will need to improve the services that women across Scotland rely on. The NHS needs to be bolstered with significant financial support if we are to tackle the backlog, which threatens to delay and even deny vital treatment for Scottish women. That is why, in our amendment to the Government’s motion, the Scottish Conservatives are calling for a clinician-led, ring-fenced fund with the sole remit of bringing treatment times under control. That would help to ensure that, despite the immense pressure placed on our healthcare system by the pandemic, the NHS is responsive to women’s health and wellbeing concerns.

Take the condition endometriosis, for which the average time for a diagnosis in Scotland is eight and a half years, according to an inquiry by the all-party parliamentary group on endometriosis. The inquiry noted that, in Scotland, it has been difficult for some women to access specialist endometriosis centres, even if they are suffering from deep endometriosis.

Another area of concern regarding women’s health is breast cancer, which is the most common cancer in women in Scotland, accounting for 28.8 per cent of all cancers diagnosed. Only recently, Cancer Research UK revealed that a thousand fewer people in Scotland started breast cancer treatment last year than did the year before. That highlights the tremendous scale of the NHS backlog, and how the queues for essential treatments are growing at a startling rate.

I agree with the minister when she stresses the importance of recognising the link between health and income inequality. As is the case with cervical screenings, the figures show that women from the most deprived areas of Scotland are less likely to attend breast screening appointments.

Whether it be endometriosis, breast cancer or cervical cancer, I again stress that it is vital that we have targeted resources dedicated to tackling the backlog and addressing lengthy waiting times in those key areas of women’s health.

An issue that I know will be discussed passionately across the chamber today is the failings surrounding transvaginal mesh surgery. It is important to praise the efforts of Scottish Mesh Survivors, a group of heroic women who have worked tirelessly over the years to raise awareness of the dangers of mesh. The scandal, which has been a traumatic and harmful experience for the victims involved, needs a resolution as soon as possible. I am clear that I stand side by side with colleagues across the chamber in calling on the Government to urgently introduce financial support to refund the women who paid for private mesh surgery outwith the NHS.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my speech, women make up half of our population, but serious discussions about our unique healthcare needs are often shied away from. That must happen no more. The barriers to good physical and mental health that women face are clear, and the pandemic continues to place significant pressure on the NHS. With a laser-eyed focus, let us recommit ourselves to supporting women’s health by giving the NHS the proper funding that it needs to tackle the backlog and be responsive to the healthcare needs of women across Scotland.

I move amendment S6M-00369.1, to insert at end:

“; notes that women face significant barriers to good mental and physical health, including unreasonably long waiting times for a diagnosis of conditions such as endometriosis, where the average waiting time is eight and a half years in Scotland; believes that women from the most deprived areas of Scotland are less likely to attend breast screening appointments, and, with breast cancer referrals declining during the COVID-19 pandemic, calls on the Scottish Government to bring treatment times under control by having a separate, clinician-led fund to tackle the NHS backlog.”