Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 25 June 2013
25 Jun 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Specialist Heart Failure Nurse Services
I pay tribute to Dave Thompson for securing this debate and I commend the British Heart Foundation, the Scottish heart failure nurse forum and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland for their briefing in advance of our debate and their report, which highlights the challenges that remain in securing the provision of heart failure nurses across every health board in Scotland.
We know that heart failure is a life-limiting condition and that, unlike the prevalence of many other cardiac conditions, its prevalence is rising. It affects about 100,000 people across Scotland.
I do not think that anyone inside or, indeed, outside the chamber would disagree about the value that is added by heart failure nurses to the experiences of patients and their families. As we have already heard from Dave Thompson, their contribution can also be measured in purely financial terms. They save an estimated £1,826 per patient, due to a 35 per cent reduction in hospital admissions.
The importance of the role of heart failure nurses was identified in Audit Scotland’s report on cardiology services and the subsequent report from the Parliament’s Public Audit Committee. They made a number of recommendations, particularly about heart failure services for people from deprived and ethnic minority communities, but they also recognised that the NHS needs to improve services generally for people with heart failure.
Way back in February 2007, SIGN guidelines were put in place under the Administration of the time, but the ambition was shared across the chamber. Those SIGN guidelines set out a ratio of 1:100,000 specialist nurses to population. That was the right thing to do then and it is the right thing to do now, but it is disappointing that, some six years on, only four health boards are meeting the standard and that, across Scotland, the number of heart failure nurses dropped from 51 whole-time equivalents in 2008 to 47 in 2012.
I am very pleased that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which covers my constituency, has achieved the ratio that is set out in the guideline. It is not used to my heaping praise on it, so it should enjoy it while I do so. However, I would always encourage it to do more. The review helpfully identifies the challenges that it needs to address, such as the lack of a class for patients with heart failure and the increasing demand that will continue to add pressure to services. I encourage it to look again at how to improve access to services in some of our most disadvantaged areas.
We know that heart failure is a life-limiting condition and that, unlike the prevalence of many other cardiac conditions, its prevalence is rising. It affects about 100,000 people across Scotland.
I do not think that anyone inside or, indeed, outside the chamber would disagree about the value that is added by heart failure nurses to the experiences of patients and their families. As we have already heard from Dave Thompson, their contribution can also be measured in purely financial terms. They save an estimated £1,826 per patient, due to a 35 per cent reduction in hospital admissions.
The importance of the role of heart failure nurses was identified in Audit Scotland’s report on cardiology services and the subsequent report from the Parliament’s Public Audit Committee. They made a number of recommendations, particularly about heart failure services for people from deprived and ethnic minority communities, but they also recognised that the NHS needs to improve services generally for people with heart failure.
Way back in February 2007, SIGN guidelines were put in place under the Administration of the time, but the ambition was shared across the chamber. Those SIGN guidelines set out a ratio of 1:100,000 specialist nurses to population. That was the right thing to do then and it is the right thing to do now, but it is disappointing that, some six years on, only four health boards are meeting the standard and that, across Scotland, the number of heart failure nurses dropped from 51 whole-time equivalents in 2008 to 47 in 2012.
I am very pleased that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which covers my constituency, has achieved the ratio that is set out in the guideline. It is not used to my heaping praise on it, so it should enjoy it while I do so. However, I would always encourage it to do more. The review helpfully identifies the challenges that it needs to address, such as the lack of a class for patients with heart failure and the increasing demand that will continue to add pressure to services. I encourage it to look again at how to improve access to services in some of our most disadvantaged areas.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-06245, in the name of Dave Thompson, on review of specialist heart failure nurse servi...
Dave Thompson (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
SNP
The motion was stimulated by a discussion at the cross-party group on heart disease and stroke, of which I am a vice-convener, in March. At that meeting, we ...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
I pay tribute to Dave Thompson for securing this debate and I commend the British Heart Foundation, the Scottish heart failure nurse forum and Chest Heart & ...
Dave Thompson
SNP
It has just occurred to me that it was remiss of me not to mention that NHS Highland in my area is one of the four health boards that are meeting the target.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
Better late than never.
Jackie Baillie
Lab
That is truly wonderful. We are nothing if not parochial.We have established that heart failure is rising, we agree that we need to try to ensure that servic...
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I am pleased that Dave Thompson has drawn our attention to the recent “Review of Specialist Heart Failure Nurse Services” and that he has secured the require...
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
SNP
I, too, congratulate Dave Thompson on securing a debate on this important subject and bringing it to the chamber. I also thank the organisations, particularl...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
I, too, congratulate Dave Thompson on his motion and on securing the debate. I also add my thanks to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, to the British Heart Foun...
The Minister for Public Health (Michael Matheson)
SNP
I congratulate Dave Thompson on securing time for this important debate on what remains a clinical priority for NHS Scotland.I am sure that all members recog...
Dennis Robertson
SNP
Will the minister take an intervention?
Liam McArthur
LD
Will the minister take an intervention?
Michael Matheson
SNP
I will give way to Mr McArthur.
Liam McArthur
LD
I am grateful to the minister for giving way. I appreciate what he said in relation to ratios but, as he will have heard, there is no ratio at all in the cas...
Michael Matheson
SNP
I am going to come to Orkney in a minute, when I hope that I can address that point.I am more than happy to give way to Mr Robertson, too.
Dennis Robertson
SNP
I thank the minister for giving way. With regard to the ratios, does the minister share my concern that in Aberdeen there is only one specialist nurse with a...
Michael Matheson
SNP
I will turn to those points on Orkney and Grampian after making a little progress on the wider issue.It is important to recognise that some progress has been...