Chamber
Plenary, 27 Sep 2001
27 Sep 2001 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
“Value Nurses” Campaign
I must declare an interest—I am a member of Unison. As the only nurse in the Scottish Parliament, I feel qualified to contribute to the debate. Margaret Smith talked about the valuable role of nurses in delivering high-quality patient care. I am sure that no one is in doubt about that.
I am proof of the fact that nurses leave the profession. The average age of nurses in Scotland is 47, which indicates that the profession has major problems with recruiting and retaining young people. I support fully actions that enable us to do that and to offer former nurses, such as me, a chance to retrain and return to nursing without financial penalty. As Margaret Smith said, that facility is available to our colleagues in England and Wales and I urge the Executive to implement a similar scheme in Scotland.
Nurses are a valuable group of people, but without doubt they are part of a bigger team. I am sure that the nurses who are in the public gallery will agree that they could not do their job without porters, cleaners, catering staff, clerks, secretaries, laboratory staff and many others whom time precludes me from mentioning. This week, I too lodged a motion that acknowledges the role that those groups of staff play in the health service. They make up the health care team. It is vital that we acknowledge that every member of that team plays a valuable part.
It is also important that we recognise that all groups of staff must have input into the new unified NHS boards. That will be done by having the chairs of each staff partnership forum and local area clinical forum on the boards. That will enable all groups of staff who are part of the team to be represented on the new boards. I welcome that.
As a former staff side representative, I have been involved in representing staff. It is important that we ensure that the voices of all those who contribute to the team are heard. The new board set-up will allow that.
Although I value very much the role of nurses and hope that I, in my time as a nurse, played—and will play at some time in the future—that valuable role and was valued by the community, we must remember that nurses are a crucial part of a team that contains a lot of other staff, who are also valuable.
I am proof of the fact that nurses leave the profession. The average age of nurses in Scotland is 47, which indicates that the profession has major problems with recruiting and retaining young people. I support fully actions that enable us to do that and to offer former nurses, such as me, a chance to retrain and return to nursing without financial penalty. As Margaret Smith said, that facility is available to our colleagues in England and Wales and I urge the Executive to implement a similar scheme in Scotland.
Nurses are a valuable group of people, but without doubt they are part of a bigger team. I am sure that the nurses who are in the public gallery will agree that they could not do their job without porters, cleaners, catering staff, clerks, secretaries, laboratory staff and many others whom time precludes me from mentioning. This week, I too lodged a motion that acknowledges the role that those groups of staff play in the health service. They make up the health care team. It is vital that we acknowledge that every member of that team plays a valuable part.
It is also important that we recognise that all groups of staff must have input into the new unified NHS boards. That will be done by having the chairs of each staff partnership forum and local area clinical forum on the boards. That will enable all groups of staff who are part of the team to be represented on the new boards. I welcome that.
As a former staff side representative, I have been involved in representing staff. It is important that we ensure that the voices of all those who contribute to the team are heard. The new board set-up will allow that.
Although I value very much the role of nurses and hope that I, in my time as a nurse, played—and will play at some time in the future—that valuable role and was valued by the community, we must remember that nurses are a crucial part of a team that contains a lot of other staff, who are also valuable.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel):
NPA
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S1M-2054, in the name of Margaret Smith, on the Royal College of Nursing Scotland's value ...
Motion debated,
That the Parliament supports the Royal College of Nursing Scotland's "Value Nurses" campaign, which highlights the crucial role that nurses play in deliverin...
Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD):
LD
I am delighted and honoured to sponsor a motion to value and recognise the wide range of work done by Scotland's nurses and to support the RCN's value nurses...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
SNP
I will not be able to call everyone, even with speeches of three minutes, so I am prepared to entertain a motion without notice to extend the debate by 10 mi...
Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP):
SNP
May I move a motion to extend the business?
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
Yes.
Motion moved,
That the meeting be extended by 10 minutes.—Mrs Margaret Ewing.
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
The question is, that the motion be agreed to.
Motion agreed to.
Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab):
Lab
I must declare an interest—I am a member of Unison. As the only nurse in the Scottish Parliament, I feel qualified to contribute to the debate. Margaret Smit...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
I congratulate Margaret Smith on securing the debate and Janis Hughes on her contribution to it. I am sure that there will not be a great deal of controversy...
Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
I congratulate Margaret Smith on securing the debate, which I welcome. Well motivated, happy nurses are key members of our Scottish health team. Two weeks ag...
Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab):
Lab
I hesitate to introduce a partisan element to the debate, but Mr McGrigor has prompted me to do so. I take it that, at some point in this year zero speech, h...
Mr McGrigor:
Con
I regret to say that the Conservative health spokesperson is currently recovering from a very bad car crash, and I am sorry that she is not here today. I do ...
Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD):
LD
In this brief speech, I will use my experience of the health service over the past few months to highlight two things we should do if we value our nurses.Fir...
Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I too congratulate Margaret Smith on securing this debate, and on making an excellent opening speech. In no way do I want to be partisan, but I think that th...
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP):
SSP
I endorse what Alex Neil said and I thank Margaret Smith for securing the debate and for the quality of her speech. Nurses are undoubtedly the Henrik Larsson...
Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome the nurses, who come from a virtually all-female profession, to the Scottish Parliament. It is worth noting that the vast majority of nurses, midwi...
Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I will be brief, to allow other members an opportunity to speak. I thank Margaret Smith for securing this important debate.As part of the RCN's value nurses ...
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con):
Con
I congratulate Margaret Smith on raising this extremely important debate. We should all be grateful to Scotland's nurses for what they have done over countle...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
I call Jamie Stone, to be followed by a 60-second speech from Kenny Gibson.
Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD):
LD
I also congratulate Margaret Smith on securing this debate. On behalf of the Liberal Democrats, I welcome our friends in the public gallery. Although the tur...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
We only have time for the briefest of contributions from Kenny Gibson.
Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
I thank the Presiding Officer for accepting my plea. I do not consider nursing to be a female profession but a caring profession. Although there are many thi...
Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
I congratulate Margaret Smith on securing today's welcome debate. I also add my support to the RCN's value nurses campaign. The minister and I are joining th...
The Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (Malcolm Chisholm):
Lab
I begin by congratulating Margaret Smith on securing the debate and by welcoming nurses to the public gallery. I applaud the enormous contribution that they ...
Mrs Ewing:
SNP
I have heard many of those comments before, sometimes in the House of Commons where I served as an RCN panel member. Will the minister give one concrete exam...
Malcolm Chisholm:
Lab
I made an announcement in the summer in response to one of those demands and I have stated clearly that the other demands—some of which I have yet to deal wi...