Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith) Lab

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-06746, in the name of Alex Neil, on ensuring access to high-quality sustainable services for people livin...

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing (Alex Neil) SNP

I have great pleasure in speaking to my motion on chronic pain. In doing so, however, I want to pay tribute to those who have campaigned long and hard on the...

Jackson Carlaw (West Scotland) (Con) Con

May I potentially short-circuit the cabinet secretary’s consultation by saying that I think that we would welcome all three approaches?

Alex Neil SNP

If the member got his Government to reverse its cuts, I might be able to afford all three.As there are at least three possible scenarios, I cannot accept Lab...

Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP) SNP

The cabinet secretary will be aware that chronic pain is often unseen and that, as such, it often goes unrecognised. Constituents have told me of their exper...

Alex Neil SNP

Absolutely. We will publish a document fairly soon on the pros and cons of each model. We will then go out to consultation, and everybody will be free to hav...

Margo MacDonald (Lothian) (Ind) Ind

I thank the cabinet secretary for giving way, particularly when he was in full flow.I welcome the cabinet secretary’s remark about stakeholders, because folk...

Alex Neil SNP

Margo MacDonald makes a very fair point. One of our clear objectives is to raise awareness in the medical profession of not only chronic pain but what can an...

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Lab

I welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate, not just on behalf of my party but as one of three co-conveners of the cross-party group on chronic p...

Alex Neil SNP

Does the member accept that I am delivering on her manifesto commitment?

Jackie Baillie Lab

I encourage the cabinet secretary to read the rest of our manifesto. If he delivered on all our manifesto commitments, I might have more praise for him.The c...

Margo MacDonald Ind

Is there an agreed standard for the severity of chronic pain among the health boards? Is it staged and so on? How do the health boards judge the requirement ...

Jackie Baillie Lab

There will indeed be standards, and the health boards will have a system that they operate. However, those are matters for clinical judgment rather than the ...

Jackson Carlaw (West Scotland) (Con) Con

I, too, welcome the many volunteers to the Parliament. I will not add to the flattery, because they have had 10 years of that and have found that it does not...

Aileen McLeod (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate on the important issue of chronic pain. I am pleased to see so many people in the public gallery to listen ...

Jayne Baxter (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

As we know, chronic pain has been the subject of parliamentary discussion for more than 10 years. The number of reports that have been produced on chronic pa...

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP

I welcome the cabinet secretary’s motion on chronic pain. I come to the debate with the background of being one of the three co-conveners of the cross-party ...

Graeme Pearson (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab

The NHS faces many challenges, to which it often responds by delivering positive outcomes. However, chronic pain has been and still is the ghost in the machi...

Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP) SNP

I note that Mr Pearson’s speech seemed to be a speech of two halves, and that the tone of the first half was just a little bit wrong. I do not understand how...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

You should draw to a close, please.

Bob Doris SNP

As we move towards health and social care integration, health boards and local authorities should be looking to disinvest some of their funds in favour of su...

Gil Paterson (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP) SNP

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate from both a personal and a general perspective. I speak from a personal perspective in that, having suffered...

Margo MacDonald Ind

He never told me.

Gil Paterson SNP

I believe that the stigma that is attached to chronic pain and the lack of understanding of it have been reduced drastically over the past years. However, I ...

Hanzala Malik (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

I welcome the opportunity to talk about access to services for people living with chronic pain. I have personal experience of the issue. As I come from a fam...

Joan McAlpine (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP

I, too, welcome the campaigners to the gallery, particularly the petitioner Susan Archibald. I had the great pleasure of hearing Susan speak at the recent de...

Drew Smith (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

Will the member give way?

Joan McAlpine SNP

No—I want to make progress.I am fortunate in not having suffered serious illness in my life; indeed, I have experienced severe pain on only two or three occa...

Margo MacDonald Ind

I appreciate that the member wants to make headway, but I note that two or three members have already referred to going to Bath as if it were like going to M...

Joan McAlpine SNP

The member makes a reasonable point; indeed, I was just about to address the substance of her comment.I welcome the fact that the cabinet secretary will cons...