Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 10 November 2022
10 Nov 2022 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Alternative Pathways to Primary Care
I am referring to the professionals whom I am in contact with every day. This debate is about alternative pathways; it is not purely about the report that was produced.
If we increased the budget for GPs in the way that I outlined, that would enable GPs to offer longer appointments to those who need them.
We want alternative pathways to be rolled out in order to ease the pressure on GPs. We would train more independent prescribers to enable pharmacists to treat a wider range of common conditions, and we want social prescribing to be embedded in primary care, including through the rolling out of community link workers and links to advice services more widely. For example, embedding citizens advice bureaux in primary care facilities makes a huge difference.
I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests, which states that I am a practising GP.
15:22In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-06702, in the name of Gillian Martin, on behalf of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, on its in...
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
SNP
As the convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, I am pleased to open the debate on the committee’s inquiry into alternative pathways to prima...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I remind members who wish to speak in the debate to check that they have pressed their request-to-speak button. 15:06
The Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport (Maree Todd)
SNP
As the public health minister, I welcome the opportunity to open this debate on alternative pathways to primary care. I commend the committee for its timely ...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Are we are aware of how many full-time-equivalent GPs currently deliver primary care in the NHS? Are we aware of how many full-time-equivalent community link...
Maree Todd
SNP
I can get that data for the member. I am sure that the cabinet secretary will include it in his summing up. I know that we have increased the number of GPs w...
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con)
Con
Primary care is the backbone of the NHS, and it is at breaking point. With increasing demands and limited capacity, it is in a perpetual extreme winter. The ...
Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Some of what the member is saying is interesting, and some of it is in the report. However, it seems as if what he is proposing is not what the report was ab...
Sandesh Gulhane
Con
I am referring to the professionals whom I am in contact with every day. This debate is about alternative pathways; it is not purely about the report that wa...
Carol Mochan (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee for the work that they put into the report. I am pleased to...
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (Humza Yousaf)
SNP
I thank Carol Mochan for taking an intervention during what I think is a really helpful speech. If we have to mitigate £650 million of inflationary pressure ...
Carol Mochan
Lab
The cabinet secretary will know that I absolutely agree that one of the biggest challenges that we face in Scotland is the current climate of austerity from ...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I will come to the pretty impressive committee report, but we simply cannot ignore the context. I have never seen primary care in the state that it is in now...
Gillian Martin
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Willie Rennie
LD
I will not just now. The reasons include refusing for years to recruit enough GPs, cutting the number of nurse training places, failing to eradicate delayed...
Gillian Martin
SNP
Will the member give way?
Willie Rennie
LD
The member should listen to this list. It is important. The reasons include undervaluing of social care year after year after year, and delaying the mental ...
Maree Todd
SNP
I wonder, as I listen to Willie Rennie’s litany of failures by the SNP Government, whether he has reflected, at all, on his party’s role in bringing in auste...
Willie Rennie
LD
We must pray that, at some point, the SNP Government will accept responsibility for its own powers and its decisions over the past 15 years, including what w...
Gillian Martin
SNP
Will the member give way?
Willie Rennie
LD
I am sorry, I do not have time.
Gillian Martin
SNP
As the convener of the committee—
Willie Rennie
LD
No. I am sorry: I am not taking an intervention. From my discussions with the police and GPs, I think that there is very little evidence that the action on ...
Gillian Martin
SNP
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Speaking as the convener of the committee that produced the report, I say that it is very frustrating when members c...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I thank Ms Martin for her point of order. The debate is focused on the “Alternative pathways to primary care” report, but it is quite a wide subject area and...
Willie Rennie
LD
I understand why SNP members do not want to talk about this stuff, because their failure over the past 15 years has been lamentable. It has been a disgrace a...
Paul McLennan (East Lothian) (SNP)
SNP
I thank Gillian Martin and her committee colleagues for producing the report for debate and I thank the clerks for their help. In the time that I have toda...
Craig Hoy (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
Will the member take an intervention?
Paul McLennan
SNP
Yes.
Craig Hoy
Con
Inaudible.