Hansard

I thank Pauline McNeill for bringing the debate forward and for her long-standing campaigning on behalf of patients. I also thank the organisations and constituents who have been in touch ahead of the debate.

It is also right that we pay tribute to and thank all those who work in the national health service for the support that they provide to Crohn’s and colitis patients around our country. I know just how passionate and determined they are to see progress.

Like Clare Adamson and Pauline McNeill, I am a member of the cross-party group on inflammatory bowel disease, and some of the emotional presentations that we have had, especially those from young people, have really stayed with me. Crohn’s disease affects around one in 200 people, with the majority of those who are affected being young people and children. There is clearly a need to improve access to appropriate paediatric and transitional services for young Scots with IBD, as well as—sometimes most importantly—improving access to psychological support as they go on their journey.

It is therefore concerning that a recent study by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health found that the paediatric workforce in Scotland is on the brink of a recruitment crisis and needs to increase the number of doctors by a quarter just to cope. It has been estimated that, if we are to deliver the required standards of care to children and young people, the number of consultants must rise by 25 per cent, or 82 doctors.

We should look at a number of important issues that are raised in the motion, including concerns about access to toilets. That is an issue on which I have had significant correspondence from residents across Edinburgh and Lothian. I have raised concerns with ministers and NHS boards specifically about changing place toilets for disabled people and about access to toilets in our health service, but a wider issue is the impact that council cuts are having on the provision of public toilets in public spaces. That is something that we should all look towards when we are planning public spaces and new facilities. Most important is that we should look at how NHS buildings incorporate toilets. I agree that access to toilets should be treated as a public health concern when planning legislation is being considered.

I also want to highlight some of the positive developments that we have seen. I have been hugely impressed by the examples of the use of e-health technology, such as the attend anywhere scheme, which the cross-party group has had presentations on, and how such technology is helping to address many patient access concerns. The multi-stakeholder IBD innovation workshop in December 2018, which was instigated by Crohn’s and Colitis UK and NHS Scotland, looked at many improvements in the development of digital health. I know that the Scottish Government is looking to take those forward.

Constituents in Lothian have highlighted issues with nurses and consultants not being able to communicate with families and children with IBD via email, which I believe is possible in Glasgow; some of the problems with information technology access are arising in Lothian specifically. I ask ministers to take an active role in finding potential solutions to that issue. It is important that we ensure that patients in Lothian are not left behind, and I am happy to write to the minister about the issue if he is not aware of it.

It is also important that we look to the future. Just this weekend, I read a very interesting and positive article on the development of a vaccine that is aimed at treating Crohn’s disease. Recruitment is now taking place for the Crohn’s MAP vaccine trials. There is obviously a huge amount of work being done to support patients. We should all keep striving to support people in Scotland who are living with Crohn’s and colitis and look to the innovations and health improvements of the future, which will make such a difference.