Chamber
Plenary, 09 May 2002
09 May 2002 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Nurses
I am pleased to speak in the debate to acknowledge the work that Scotland's nurses do in international nurses week and throughout the year, and to highlight what we need to do to recruit, retain and retrain Scotland's nursing work force.
Nurses account for one half of the NHS work force and deliver 80 per cent of the care that it provides. They are the backbone of the NHS and must be valued as key members of the NHS front line. I am glad that the minister has agreed that nursing directors will be on the new unified NHS boards to ensure that the nurses' voice is heard at every possible level in the service.
I congratulate the RCN on its successful value nurses campaign. Over the summer recess, I took the opportunity to support the campaign by spending time shadowing some of our nursing staff as they went about their work with homeless people at the Access Point project in Edinburgh, with a community detoxification nurse in Bannockburn and with a nurse manager on a night shift at the Royal hospital for sick children at Yorkhill in Glasgow. From the comments that members have made so far, it is clear that nurses undertake an incredible range of tasks and duties on our behalf.
On those occasions and many others, including yesterday when I met nursing sisters from Forth Valley NHS Board, I have found that nurses are keen to talk about their professional needs and how we can recruit more nurses. Pay and conditions remain major issues. Although pay remains a matter for the United Kingdom independent pay review body, I hope that the Executive will do all that it can to press the case for progress to be made.
Nurses account for one half of the NHS work force and deliver 80 per cent of the care that it provides. They are the backbone of the NHS and must be valued as key members of the NHS front line. I am glad that the minister has agreed that nursing directors will be on the new unified NHS boards to ensure that the nurses' voice is heard at every possible level in the service.
I congratulate the RCN on its successful value nurses campaign. Over the summer recess, I took the opportunity to support the campaign by spending time shadowing some of our nursing staff as they went about their work with homeless people at the Access Point project in Edinburgh, with a community detoxification nurse in Bannockburn and with a nurse manager on a night shift at the Royal hospital for sick children at Yorkhill in Glasgow. From the comments that members have made so far, it is clear that nurses undertake an incredible range of tasks and duties on our behalf.
On those occasions and many others, including yesterday when I met nursing sisters from Forth Valley NHS Board, I have found that nurses are keen to talk about their professional needs and how we can recruit more nurses. Pay and conditions remain major issues. Although pay remains a matter for the United Kingdom independent pay review body, I hope that the Executive will do all that it can to press the case for progress to be made.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel):
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S1M-3078, in the name of Malcolm Chisholm, on action to recruit, retain and value nurses, and two amendments ...
The Minister for Health and Community Care (Malcolm Chisholm):
Lab
The delivery of health services for patients requires a combination of sustained investment and reform—investment in staff, equipment, facilities and new tre...
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP):
SSP
Will Malcolm Chisholm give way?
Malcolm Chisholm:
Lab
In a moment. I need to make more progress first.We want all those who qualify to secure employment within NHS Scotland, if they wish to do so. We have theref...
Tommy Sheridan:
SSP
My question relates specifically to nurses' bursaries. Given his experience of speaking at various conferences, the minister will surely accept that the bigg...
Malcolm Chisholm:
Lab
There will be a further increase in bursaries this year. I am aware of the issue that Tommy Sheridan raises, and I am sure that it will come up at the specia...
Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Will the minister give way?
Malcolm Chisholm:
Lab
Time will not allow me to take an intervention. I have only one and a half minutes left.Flexibility is another key issue that has been raised at nursing conv...
Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
I thank nurses, midwives and health visitors for the enormous contribution that they make to patient care and the national health service. I also pay tribute...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
Another week, another health debate, and this week another health minister, too. I welcome this debate on recruiting, retaining and valuing nurses, given tha...
Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD):
LD
I am pleased to speak in the debate to acknowledge the work that Scotland's nurses do in international nurses week and throughout the year, and to highlight ...
Brian Adam:
SNP
Will Margaret Smith give way?
Mrs Smith:
LD
I will not give way. I have no time. I have only five minutes.
Brian Adam:
SNP
There will be no debate if she does not give way.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
SNP
Order.
Mrs Smith:
LD
In areas in which the Scottish Executive has the power to make a positive difference to conditions, it has been listening to the RCN's campaign and has made ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
We now come to the open debate. We are obviously tight for time, but I will allow speeches of four minutes with some extra time for interventions.
Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab):
Lab
I agree with other members that it is highly appropriate for us to hold this debate during international nurses week. Since 1997, Labour has delivered 20,000...
Nicola Sturgeon:
SNP
Will Sarah Boyack give way?
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
No, thank you, Ms Sturgeon. Those concerns are a legacy of what the Tories did to the health service. The recent pronouncements of Liam Fox show the Tories' ...
Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con):
Con
Will the member take an intervention?
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
I will take a brief intervention.
Ben Wallace:
Con
How does Ms Boyack reconcile her fine words and the fine words of the Scottish Executive with the fact that the chancellor will take £5.8 million out of the ...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
I have not met any nurse who is unhappy about the massive increase that everyone recognises is going into the NHS. We need to talk up the fact that the money...
Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
Nurses now take on greater roles and greater responsibilities than ever before, but the average age of nurses is increasing. The average age in Scotland is n...
Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
The contribution that our nurses make to our health care system is phenomenal. They are the backbone of the NHS and without them the NHS would crumble. There...
Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab):
Lab
Jamie McGrigor's contribution—or perhaps what was omitted from it—speaks volumes about the lack of consensus in Scotland on sustained and rising investment i...
Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Members of all parties have produced statistics on a variety of issues, such as the number of nurses who leave the profession, the number of nursing students...
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
I will concentrate on two points—job satisfaction and prisons. Three things make a job worth having and attract people to it: pay and conditions; the public ...
Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab):
Lab
I declare an interest as a member of Unison. As a nurse, I am delighted to speak in today's debate. During my years in the health service, I considered mysel...