Hansard

I add my congratulations to Pauline McNeill for securing time in the chamber to debate the topic. In doing so, Ms McNeill is helping to raise awareness of Crohn’s and colitis, which is one of the key asks from Crohn’s and Colitis UK. That is a benefit of having members’ debates.

Crohn’s disease was something that I was vaguely aware of but, probably like most people, I did not give it too much thought. That was until I came across a young athlete who had the condition, and whose father also had the condition. I was not the athlete’s primary coach, but I did some work with them and I knew the family particularly well. When working with athletes, it is incumbent on the coach to understand any specific issues that are pertinent to the athlete, any adjustments that might need to be made in their training programme and how it might affect their performance.

Only at that point did I begin to realise how debilitating the condition can be—the constant need to change the training programme, depending on flare-ups, and the increased focus on diet and access to an appropriate diet. It involves a constant planning cycle. When we were moving around from venue to venue and during warm-weather training, we had to know where the nearest toilet was and where the athlete would be able to access the diet that they required.

I am often accused of seeing things through a sporting prism, but sport exacerbates and highlights the issues. As Pauline McNeill said about the young lad who played tennis, IBD does not necessarily have to completely shut down a person’s life, because that young lad went on to become a Scottish champion.

Pauline McNeill said that IBD is an “invisible disease”, despite it being potentially extremely painful and, in extreme cases, life threatening. That brought the problem home to me, because that is exactly what happened to the young lady whom I talked about. She is all grown up, and is now passing on her knowledge as a coach.

It is an invisible disease, but it is surprisingly common, with 26,000 cases registered in Scotland. Furthermore, and more important for me, is that there has been a huge increase in the incidence of IBD in under-16s.

There are many issues that need to be addressed, and have been addressed very well in the debate. I will focus on a couple of issues that are of particular interest to me. It will not be a surprise that I have picked diet, which is a topic that is raised constantly in the chamber. I understand that diet is absolutely crucial in managing IBD. That applies to the sufferer, to the parents and to the education system. After all, it is highly likely that teachers will be teaching pupils who are suffering from the condition.

That is another reason why I am so keen that we continue to consider how we make up and source school meals, and meals in other public facilities. The increase in processed food in our diet is being connected to the increase in conditions such as IBD. During my time in Parliament, I will continue to pursue ensuring that the meals that we offer and serve in schools are of the highest quality.

Access to specialist healthcare professionals and education by clinical nurse specialists and specialist dieticians would be a great part of the solution. That is something in which Scotland lags behind others, with nearly a third of IBD sufferers having no contact with a specialist nurse.

The need for psychological support has been mentioned. It is draining for people to be frustrated by inability to participate in life as they would like. Access to mental health services has been highlighted in the debate.

Healthcare technology can play a major role in tackling the lack of available treatments and promoting self-management of conditions. That, in turn, empowers sufferers. Direct access to specialist advice on many conditions via technology is a direction of travel that the health service needs to take, especially in rural areas.

Cross-portfolio solutions are required. I thank Pauline McNeill for bringing the debate to Parliament.

I see that you are looking at me, Presiding Officer; I will watch the clock next time.