Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 24 September 2013
24 Sep 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
New Learning Disabilities Strategy
Thank you, Presiding Officer. When you extended the time for speeches to seven minutes, I put my hand in my pocket and took out my throat lozenges. I certainly hope to be able to attain six minutes.
The debate is an important one, and it is about people—individuals. We refer in a generic way to “people with learning disabilities”, but the spectrum is vast. I want to touch on one or two aspects of individuals who have learning disabilities.
Recommendation 1 in “The keys to life”, which looks at equality impact assessments, refers to “dignity, equality and non-discrimination”. If I were writing that recommendation, I would include “respect”, because we need to ensure that we are respectful to those with learning disabilities. In drawing up a strategy, we should be respectful to them: it is not a question of creating a society for people with learning disabilities but a question of creating a society that they are an integral part of. They should be shaping their future.
It is all very well that we sometimes articulate on behalf of people with learning disabilities. Sometimes it is right and proper for us to do that, as people with learning disabilities may not always be able to articulate exactly what they want because of their communication difficulty, but—to put it simply—we should try to create a society for individuals. Mary Scanlon mentioned person-centred care. We should always ensure that, when a single shared assessment is carried out, there is an individual care plan for the person concerned that allows them to live in our community and to be part of our society.
Of course support will be needed, and there is a need for an infrastructure. We must ensure that there is a structure in place to provide quality assurance. Stuart Maxwell said that, when it comes to the collection of data, the person with a learning disability is often invisible. That cannot be right.
What I would say to the minister is that, when we are collecting the data, we need to ensure that we are not just saying, “Here we have a person with a learning disability,” but are saying that it is a black or ethnic minority person with a learning disability, a person with sensory impairment with a learning disability, or a person with whatever condition with a learning disability. We need to ensure that we cross-reference and collect the information that will be important in ensuring that we develop the society that we need for our people with learning disabilities.
I remember working with a young lad many years ago in Inverclyde in my days as a very young social worker. That young lad used to lash out every time that he went out to his day centre. He was physically abusive, kicking, punching and biting. Do you know why? His shoes were too tight. He could not communicate that, when people put his shoes on, they were hurting him. He did not have the ability to communicate that through speech, but it was obvious for those who wanted to take the time to look carefully that, every time that he put on a certain pair of shoes, he had a reaction. It was simple.
I commend the work by Optometry Scotland and opticians throughout Scotland in conjunction with RNIB Scotland to ensure that people with learning disabilities have their sight checked. We have found out that over 11,000 people with learning disabilities have a sight impairment. Quite often—again, this is very simple—giving a person a corrective lens in spectacles can enable them to see clearly, which can have an immense impact on their lives. We have found out that a person has been able to recognise a member of their family, a carer, the food on their plate and their favourite jumper. Why? Because they have been given the corrective lens that they needed. No one had previously thought of taking the individual to get their eyes tested. They just accepted that the person was knocking things over, screwing their eyes up and unable to recognise a member of their family—that cannot be right.
Sometimes we look for the complicated when we should be looking at the simple and the most obvious. I welcome the strategies, but I am not sure that we need 52. When reading the strategy document, I kept asking myself, “Did I read that earlier?”, and kept saying to myself, “It’s not the quantity but the quality.” I am hopeful that the Government, with cross-party support, will deliver for people a strategy and a document, and that, at the end of the day, we will deliver for individuals with learning disabilities in Scotland. It is about the individual, and that is what we should always focus on: the individual, with their specific need.
15:43
The debate is an important one, and it is about people—individuals. We refer in a generic way to “people with learning disabilities”, but the spectrum is vast. I want to touch on one or two aspects of individuals who have learning disabilities.
Recommendation 1 in “The keys to life”, which looks at equality impact assessments, refers to “dignity, equality and non-discrimination”. If I were writing that recommendation, I would include “respect”, because we need to ensure that we are respectful to those with learning disabilities. In drawing up a strategy, we should be respectful to them: it is not a question of creating a society for people with learning disabilities but a question of creating a society that they are an integral part of. They should be shaping their future.
It is all very well that we sometimes articulate on behalf of people with learning disabilities. Sometimes it is right and proper for us to do that, as people with learning disabilities may not always be able to articulate exactly what they want because of their communication difficulty, but—to put it simply—we should try to create a society for individuals. Mary Scanlon mentioned person-centred care. We should always ensure that, when a single shared assessment is carried out, there is an individual care plan for the person concerned that allows them to live in our community and to be part of our society.
Of course support will be needed, and there is a need for an infrastructure. We must ensure that there is a structure in place to provide quality assurance. Stuart Maxwell said that, when it comes to the collection of data, the person with a learning disability is often invisible. That cannot be right.
What I would say to the minister is that, when we are collecting the data, we need to ensure that we are not just saying, “Here we have a person with a learning disability,” but are saying that it is a black or ethnic minority person with a learning disability, a person with sensory impairment with a learning disability, or a person with whatever condition with a learning disability. We need to ensure that we cross-reference and collect the information that will be important in ensuring that we develop the society that we need for our people with learning disabilities.
I remember working with a young lad many years ago in Inverclyde in my days as a very young social worker. That young lad used to lash out every time that he went out to his day centre. He was physically abusive, kicking, punching and biting. Do you know why? His shoes were too tight. He could not communicate that, when people put his shoes on, they were hurting him. He did not have the ability to communicate that through speech, but it was obvious for those who wanted to take the time to look carefully that, every time that he put on a certain pair of shoes, he had a reaction. It was simple.
I commend the work by Optometry Scotland and opticians throughout Scotland in conjunction with RNIB Scotland to ensure that people with learning disabilities have their sight checked. We have found out that over 11,000 people with learning disabilities have a sight impairment. Quite often—again, this is very simple—giving a person a corrective lens in spectacles can enable them to see clearly, which can have an immense impact on their lives. We have found out that a person has been able to recognise a member of their family, a carer, the food on their plate and their favourite jumper. Why? Because they have been given the corrective lens that they needed. No one had previously thought of taking the individual to get their eyes tested. They just accepted that the person was knocking things over, screwing their eyes up and unable to recognise a member of their family—that cannot be right.
Sometimes we look for the complicated when we should be looking at the simple and the most obvious. I welcome the strategies, but I am not sure that we need 52. When reading the strategy document, I kept asking myself, “Did I read that earlier?”, and kept saying to myself, “It’s not the quantity but the quality.” I am hopeful that the Government, with cross-party support, will deliver for people a strategy and a document, and that, at the end of the day, we will deliver for individuals with learning disabilities in Scotland. It is about the individual, and that is what we should always focus on: the individual, with their specific need.
15:43
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-07787, in the name of Michael Matheson, on the new learning disabilities strategy, “The keys to life”.I p...
The Minister for Public Health (Michael Matheson)
SNP
The new learning disabilities strategy, “The keys to life: Improving quality of life for people with learning disabilities”, was published in June of this ye...
Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
The minister will be aware that the Education and Culture Committee has undertaken an inquiry into looked-after children and some of the outcomes that follow...
Michael Matheson
SNP
The member has raised a very important point. I am aware of those concerns.I was going to touch on the transition between services, particularly for those wh...
Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Scottish Labour is committed to improving the quality of life for people with learning difficulties, and we welcome the debate and the opportunity to examine...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
I am very much in tune with what the member says about the needs of people who have learning disabilities. Does he also agree that those who have learning di...
Neil Bibby
Lab
As I have been saying and will go on to say, people with learning disabilities should be involved and consulted on the services that they need. That is cruci...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
We welcome the debate on the new learning disabilities strategy. We agree with and will be supporting the Government motion. I quote part of it:“Scotland can...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
We come to the open debate. We have a bit of time in hand, therefore I can give all members up to seven minutes. 15:01
Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP)
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome the publication of “The keys to life”, which is the second 10-year strategy for tackling learning disabilities and en...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Although I can be generous with seven-minute speeches, if members go much over that, I am afraid that the time will have to drop back down later in the debat...
Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab)
Lab
In welcoming the comprehensive learning disabilities strategy, we should also remember, as Mary Scanlon did, that great policy document from the Parliament’s...
Bob Doris
SNP
I was going to intervene earlier, but I wanted to let Mr Chisholm finish telling his constituent’s story.I agree with Mr Chisholm about the co-production com...
Malcolm Chisholm
Lab
I do not want to get into that controversy; I was just giving the views of my constituent. I think that the general thrust of policy has been towards more in...
Joan McAlpine (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I am delighted to speak in the debate. The subject of learning disability is of considerable personal interest to me because I have a younger sister with Dow...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
I very much welcome the transitions to employment project. There is no difference between us on that front. It will ensure that more people have positive out...
Joan McAlpine
SNP
Well, £250 million is a significant sum of money. It is important that the cabinet secretary has listened to what Enable Scotland and the Scottish Consortium...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I am afraid that you have run out of time.
Joan McAlpine
SNP
I want to draw attention to the GP contract. Some people who have a learning disability have communication difficulties, so it is important that they get lon...
Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I thank everyone who has been involved in developing the new learning disability strategy, “The keys to life”. In particular, I thank citizens of Scotland wh...
Margaret McCulloch (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
This Parliament and this country have a strong track record of promoting social inclusion, diversity and equality of opportunity. The European convention on ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I call Dennis Robertson, to be followed by Jim Eadie.15:37
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer. When you extended the time for speeches to seven minutes, I put my hand in my pocket and took out my throat lozenges. I certain...
Jim Eadie (Edinburgh Southern) (SNP)
SNP
I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in this debate and to follow a number of very impressive contributions on the quality of life of people with l...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Lab
It does not quite seem that 13 years have passed since the last time we discussed a strategy to support people with learning disabilities. I admit that that ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The member should be closing now.
Ken Macintosh
Lab
I will follow the example of Jim Eadie and my colleague Malcolm Chisholm, and mention a forthcoming event. At lunch time on Wednesday 9 October I will host a...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the debate and the strategy, “The keys to life”, which builds on the strategy, “The same as you?”, which was published in 2000. I agree with Mary S...
Dennis Robertson
SNP
Mr Adam mentioned recommendation 3 and his support for it. We were talking about enabling, empowering and giving a voice to people with learning disabilities...
George Adam
SNP
I would not like to answer that myself, but that is what I was trying to say. We need to ensure that we speak in a language and package information in a way ...