Hansard

The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh) NPA

The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-04324, in the name of Shona Robison, on the Scottish patient safety programme. 15:10

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport (Shona Robison) SNP

I am delighted to have the opportunity to share with members the many successful initiatives that are being rolled out to continue to improve patient safety ...

Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Lab) Lab

On maternity and children, it was revealed recently that stillbirths at Forth Valley royal hospital in Larbert were disproportionately higher than the nation...

Shona Robison SNP

There has been an 18 per cent reduction in stillbirths. A lot of that reduction is due to the patient safety programme working with front-line professionals ...

The Presiding Officer NPA

Thank you, cabinet secretary. I call Donald Cameron to move amendment S5M-04324.1. I let all members know that there is plenty of time, and members may take ...

Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Con) Con

I am delighted to open for the Scottish Conservatives in this very important debate. I am pleased that we are finally having it, since it originally appeared...

Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP

Will the member accept that NHS staffing rates are at the highest that they have ever been and that this Government has increased staffing rates across all t...

Donald Cameron Con

I have said many times—and professional bodies say it too—that it is not enough simply to say that we have record numbers of staff. There are record numbers ...

The Presiding Officer NPA

I call Anas Sarwar to open for the Labour Party and to move amendment S5M-04324.2. 15:30

Anas Sarwar (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

I start by thanking the cabinet secretary for bringing the debate to Parliament. Labour members will support the Government motion today. There is a lot to w...

Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP) SNP

With all due respect to Anas Sarwar, I am sure that he would accept that even the Tories, in their May election manifesto, promised more for the health servi...

Anas Sarwar Lab

I thank Bruce Crawford for that intervention. Perhaps as convener of the Finance and Constitution Committee, he should have read Labour’s budget amendment, w...

Shona Robison SNP

Will Anas Sarwar give way?

Anas Sarwar Lab

Let me just finish my point. We have had the worst Audit Scotland report since devolution, with seven out of eight patient standards failed, including those...

Shona Robison SNP

I refer Anas Sarwar to the report of the review of maternity and neonatal services—a report by experts that included input from Bliss Scotland and was very m...

Anas Sarwar Lab

Absolutely not—I welcome the Bliss Scotland report but if we look at the report’s findings, it is not a record to be proud of; it is a record to be ashamed o...

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani) SNP

You should be coming to a close, Mr Sarwar.

Anas Sarwar Lab

Thirdly, why is compliance with the four-hour accident and emergency waiting time target in Greater Glasgow and Clyde the worst in Scotland and deteriorating...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

You must close.

Anas Sarwar Lab

If the cabinet secretary really wants to improve patient safety, she needs to get her head out of the sand, address the workforce crisis, stop the cuts to lo...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

I asked you to close, Mr Sarwar.

Anas Sarwar Lab

—and meet patient standards across the country. I move amendment S5M-04324.2, to insert at end: “; thanks Scotland’s health and care staff for all that the...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

I call Alex Cole-Hamilton to speak to and move amendment S5M-04324.3. Mr Cole-Hamilton, you can have a little extra time. 15:40

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD) LD

Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. The Scottish Liberal Democrats are happy to welcome the debate and will support the Government motion and all Opposi...

Shona Robison SNP

I hope that Alex Cole-Hamilton was copied into the letter that I sent to Willie Rennie on the subject, because many of the cases that were highlighted were v...

Alex Cole-Hamilton LD

I thank the cabinet secretary and I am delighted that she raised the issue, because when I raised it at First Minister’s question time we did not get to cove...

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

Alex Cole-Hamilton LD

I would like to make progress, please, Emma. I am sorry, Presiding Officer—I mean Ms Harper. The strategy would include comprehensive training for all care ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

We move to the open debate, with speeches of four minutes, please. 15:48

Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP) SNP

Twenty years ago, I was involved in the improvement of safety in the perioperative environment in the United States as part of a collaborative approach with ...