Hansard

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 he managed to bring independence into a consensual debate like this; that was a complete non sequitur and a bit insulting to the substance of the debate. It might be out of character, but there we are.

As other members have done, I pay tribute to Susan Archibald and her petition, and to all those who are involved in the wider campaign to improve the situation for those who live with chronic pain. I have not followed the issue particularly closely, so today’s debate has given me the opportunity to find out more. Having said that, a number of individual constituents have made representations to me in the past on chronic pain issues. Indeed, I am sure that we all have, as I have, a family member who lives with chronic pain, so we can all see the social and emotional consequences of it as much as the medical consequences.

I welcome the progress that has been made with regard to chronic pain. In doing so, I note the concerns of the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on chronic pain, which supplied a briefing for this afternoon’s debate, and those of the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland. Those groups have raised concerns about the pace of implementation of recommendations that started as early as 2007 with “Getting to GRIPS with Chronic Pain in Scotland”, and about the progress that has been made by each of the 14 health boards. I believe that progress has been made, but we must draw attention to the fact that concerns have been raised about that progress.

Of course, it is right for passionate and committed campaigners to be in a hurry for quick progress to be made on chronic pain management—that is the role of doughty campaigners, for which I pay tribute to them. Health boards and the Government must take a planned approach to developing new or improved services. The important date for many will be April 2014, by which time each health board will need to have in place a chronic pain service delivery plan.

Since 2009, we have had a national lead clinician whose job it is to spearhead and champion the development of pain management services. A national chronic pain steering group has been developed, as well as a Scottish service model for chronic pain. I would welcome information from the Scottish Government on the degree of preparedness for the April 2014 deadline. Many people see that date as an end point for having a comprehensive system in place to tackle chronic pain, rather than a starting point. More information on the preparedness of each health board would be welcome.

There is a new set of SIGN guidelines that should underpin any managed clinical network and how it will work. I note that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde now has a managed clinical network for the management of chronic pain.

I am interested to know how the care pathways will work for those who live with chronic pain. How will sufferers seek support? The documentation may be available on file and briefings may have been provided to MSPs, but what will be the reality for those who live with chronic pain?

I would welcome more information on how the Scottish Government will ensure a consistent approach in the quality of service that is provided across all health boards. However, although I mention the need for a consistent approach, I accept that there is a need for localised delivery models and that is what I want to concentrate much of my speech on.

One of the organisations that I work with in Maryhill is Revive MS Support—multiple sclerosis is a significant cause of chronic pain for many—which provides services such as physiotherapy, aromatherapy, reflexology, counselling, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and speech and language therapy, including swallowing and cognitive advice. I could cite many more examples of the services that Revive MS Support provides, but the important point is that the organisation provides an holistic approach to help those living with chronic pain, such as MS sufferers and their families, by supporting them in the community.

Revive MS Support is based in the north of Glasgow, but it also does outreach work in Paisley, Douglas, Hamilton, Glasgow’s south side and beyond. Therefore, as others have said, in looking at the network of support that is available for those living with chronic pain, it is important that we consider the support that can be provided by the third sector or voluntary sector.

I want to put on record the words of a lady called Jenny Wilson Best, who is an ambassador for Revive MS Support. She said:

“REVIVE offer many different therapies but for me it was the ‘Fatigue Management Group’ that allowed me to find myself again. I renamed it ‘Anger Management’ then ‘Sadness Management’ and finally to ‘Acceptance Management’. I cried a lot but I don’t cry anymore. Now I get on with my life and live it to the full. I still suffer fatigue and chronic pain and have learnt how to use my wheelchair but thanks to REVIVE I have found a path upon which I can walk.”

The reason for my using that quote is that people may not consider organisations such as Revive MS Support to be clinician led, but they provide a quality service that supports people living with chronic pain. When we look at the strategy in each health board area, we need to ensure that there is breathing space for organisations such as Revive MS Support. I should put on record that Revive MS Support recently got a £20,000 grant from the Scottish Government to provide an additional support worker for its outreach work.