Hansard

When thinking of health, our thoughts naturally often turn to the NHS and to medical treatment. The rise in the Scottish Government’s health spending to a record high of nearly £13 billion this year will rightly be welcomed by members on all sides of the chamber. In my constituency of Edinburgh Eastern, the NHS Lothian budget in 2016-17 will be £1.3 million, which is up by a huge 50 per cent since 2007.

I was pleased to note the Government’s ambitious £100 million new cancer strategy. Although cancer mortality rates have come down significantly—by 11 per cent over the past 10 years—the new cancer strategy directs resources towards improving prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment still further. The topic stands out for me as I, like many others, have personal experience of the devastation that cancer that is detected too late can bring. When I was 17, my parents sat me down and told me that my father had cancer. Yes, it was very serious, they said, and no, nothing could be done. He died 10 weeks later, aged just 49. That sort of thing changes you for ever. For me, our fight against cancer is not just numbers on a page: it is personal. I believe that I speak for many families when I say that the new cancer strategy is very welcome.

I met with Cancer Research UK just before the election, and I will meet the organisation again this Friday. I was pleased to hear that it was very happy with the SNP Government’s cancer strategy. It said that it sees the plan, with 50 actions, as a strong plan that will impact on cancer survival in Scotland.

In addition, the first ever Scottish cancer patient experience survey results were published this week. Of 5,000 patients who were surveyed, 94 per cent rated their care as highly positive. That is good, but there is still much more to be done. Promoting cancer awareness and educating people to spot the early signs and symptoms of cancer will also help to increase early detection rates.

A report that was compiled by Cancer Research UK last month confirms what we already know: that there is a link between poverty and cancer. Being brought up in poor housing or with a very low income affects not only the child, but the adult that they will go on to become.

Health and wellbeing is not just about the NHS; it is not always about medicine. It is about other matters, such as poverty, lifestyle, nutrition, housing, the environment and levels of inclusion. In that spirit, I will highlight two fantastic projects in my constituency that promote health in that wider sense of health and wellbeing.

Caring in Craigmillar takes referred clients who are elderly, disabled or vulnerable. When they attend, they get company and lunch; they also get to do activities. When I was there recently, I spoke to one of the regulars, who is 91 years old. He is a widower, and he said that if he did not come along he would not speak to anyone from one end of the week to the other. Isolation is an enemy of good health, and vulnerable members of our society benefit hugely from such interaction. Caring in Craigmillar also operates a simple but highly effective service called PhoneLink. Users sign up to receive a daily reassuring phone call. For those who feel isolated, the service—a daily chat with someone at the other end of a phone—is a lifeline.

At the other end of the age spectrum is the Venchie centre. Unfortunately, the council has recently removed its core funding. It is one of only three of its type across Edinburgh. It operates in Craigmillar, which the Scottish index of multiple deprivation reports is in the 15 per cent most deprived areas of Scotland.

The service is run by a committed team, who start off the morning driving around, collecting referred primary school children and bringing them to the centre. They do that in two trips because the minibus can carry only half the kids. Once at the centre the children receive a healthy breakfast of their choosing. In some cases that, together with the free school meal, will be the only meal that those children will eat. The kids are then walked to school, ensuring that they arrive on time, well fed and, most important, ready to learn. Clearly, the service has wider implications for helping to close the attainment gap.

Decades of research shows that children who do not get enough to eat, particularly in the morning, have impaired cognitive capacity. Their brains do not have enough fuel for attention, concentration or learning; they do not have enough fuel to behave appropriately. Not eating breakfast can rob children of their potential.

Children from chaotic backgrounds need and deserve our care. Clearly, going hungry will be bad for such children’s development. Missing school impacts now and in later life, on future wellbeing and possibly on whether that child will stay healthy or suffer from a disease such as cancer.

Without a new funding source, Venchie will have to close its doors to those kids, so I would welcome any help that the cabinet secretary could suggest to support such services for my constituents.