Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 18 February 2020
18 Feb 2020 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Social Prescribing
I will get a wee bit further and then take an intervention, if that is all right.
We have just heard the minister say that the Scottish Government has increased the sport budget, but that is not true, because in real terms it has cut the sport budget again. We have heard talk about a delivery mechanism, yet GP surgeries have closed all over the place, and they are the access point for social prescribing. Patient numbers are increasing but there are fewer GP surgeries.
The reality is that, when it comes to social prescribing, it is people with the greatest health issues in the lower quintiles who have the least access to the services that they require. Every speech that the Scottish Government makes about inequalities highlights to me and to this chamber how little it actually grasps the problem. We know where the inequalities lie, and we know where the access to services is at its poorest. Where is the strategy to target those inequalities?
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-20753, in the name of Lewis Macdonald, on the Health and Sport Committee’s report “Social Prescribing: ph...
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
The Health and Sport Committee’s view of social prescribing can be summed up by the subtitle of our report, which is “physical activity is an investment, not...
The Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing (Joe FitzPatrick)
SNP
I thank the convener for setting out the key points from the Health and Sport Committee’s report on the social prescribing of physical activity and sport. I ...
Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
On that specific point, does the uptake of active schools participation in areas of high deprivation not highlight that schools those areas have very little ...
Joe FitzPatrick
SNP
No: it highlights the fact that all our agencies, and sportscotland in particular, are focusing their efforts. I will come to a few examples of where that fo...
Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
I could wax lyrical and extol the virtues of social prescribing—as most members will, I am sure. I am delighted to open the debate on behalf of the Scottish ...
Keith Brown (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP)
SNP
Mr Whittle has twice mentioned the proposed council budgets. Is the member likely to support an amendment to the proposed budget that would increase funding ...
Brian Whittle
Con
I think that council budgets should be increased, because social prescribing is an investment, not a cost. The Scottish Government is getting an extra £1.1 b...
Bob Doris (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Brian Whittle
Con
I will get a wee bit further and then take an intervention, if that is all right. We have just heard the minister say that the Scottish Government has incre...
Bob Doris
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani)
SNP
Mr Whittle is in his last minute.
Brian Whittle
Con
It appears that I am in my last minute. We have a system that acts against delivering on a report that I am sure we will all agree on. We have a Scottish Go...
David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
Social prescribing is an idea whose time has come. I echo Lewis Macdonald’s comment that the concept is a crucial tool for the future of our health services ...
Joe FitzPatrick
SNP
If I gave a different figure, I clarify that 250 more is the right figure. What I may have referred to was 800 mental health workers.
David Stewart
Lab
I am happy that my research is up to scratch on this occasion. Details are required on where post holders will be based and their remits, including any diffe...
Joe FitzPatrick
SNP
Will the member take an intervention on that point?
David Stewart
Lab
Yes.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Very quickly.
Joe FitzPatrick
SNP
I have seen the Labour press release on that, and it fails to mention some of the caveats that accompanied the FOI. When an organisation applies for funding,...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I did say, “Very quickly,” minister. You have 10 seconds left, Mr Stewart.
David Stewart
Lab
Thank you, Presiding Officer. The minister stole my time there. I am happy to get back to the minister about the issue, but I stand by the 11 per cent figur...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We are very short of time for this debate. I am already looking at cutting speeches. 15:16
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
Thomas Edison once said: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the c...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I move to the open debate. Every opening speech has gone over time. We are now short of time, so speeches must be strictly six minutes. 15:22
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
I am a strong believer in social prescribing. It was Brian Whittle and I who pushed for the committee to inquire into the issue, because I have seen what a b...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I, too, thank the Health and Sport Committee for a very interesting report, but I concur with my colleague Brian Whittle, who said that we have been here bef...
Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
SNP
I thank everyone who came to the committee to give evidence and those who sent in written evidence. I also thank the hard-working clerks who compiled the rep...
Brian Whittle
Con
What we are talking about is not a cost—it is an investment. We are asking the Scottish Government to invest in social prescribing, specifically in deprived ...
Sandra White
SNP
I think that you said “investment” three times after you said that you were not talking about investment. Look to yourself and your Government in Westminster...