Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 14 June 2023
14 Jun 2023 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
NHS Waiting Times
I will not be taking any interventions, because I have only four minutes—Labour should have picked a time when there was longer for debate.
The key issue in the debate is to address NHS waiting lists and the workforce crisis. That is an issue, and it is important that we are discussing such issues, but we have to do so—as the cabinet secretary has said—in the context of the past few years.
Yes, it is true that waiting lists for certain treatments are long; we will all have constituents and personal contacts who have experienced that. However, it is also true that the pandemic brought about the most challenging set of circumstances in the 75-year history of our NHS—
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-09462, in the name of Jackie Baillie, on taking action on national health service waiting times. I ask me...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
There are 779,533 patients on waiting lists in Scotland. That is one in seven Scots, and it is the highest number of people waiting since records began. At t...
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
Will Jackie Baillie give way?
Jackie Baillie
Lab
No, I do not have time. All those numbers are, of course, people whose lives are put on hold while they wait, often in pain, to get the medical care that th...
The Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care (Michael Matheson)
SNP
Let me start by acknowledging the importance of this topic. I welcome the opportunity to highlight the progress that has been made by our NHS and, equally, t...
Jackie Baillie
Lab
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Michael Matheson
SNP
Data on our 18-month out-patient target shows that the number of people waiting more than 78 weeks reduced by 48.5 per cent between June last year and March ...
Craig Hoy (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
Will the member take an intervention?
Michael Matheson
SNP
I will give way to Jackie Baillie, because she was first.
Jackie Baillie
Lab
The cabinet secretary will of course realise that the targets that his predecessor set were to completely eradicate those waiting lists—he did not say, “Redu...
Michael Matheson
SNP
As I have outlined, we are making steady progress and seeing capacity increase in our NHS in order to continue to reduce those waiting lists. All that work ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I call Sandesh Gulhane to speak to and move amendment S6M-09462.1 for up to four minutes. 15:03
Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con)
Con
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests: I am a practising NHS general practitioner. Our heroic NHS staff have been failed by the ...
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
I am grateful to Jackie Baillie for securing time for this important debate. I would say that I am happy to speak in it, but that would be a lie. I mean, her...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We move to the open debate and back-bench speeches of up to four minutes. 15:12
Carol Mochan (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I appreciate that the SNP has other things to be worried about this week, but Scottish Labour remains firmly focused on the priorities of Scottish people. Th...
Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Carol Mochan
Lab
I will not take an intervention, thank you. Members need to listen to this. They need to live with the decisions that they make in that regard. Like others,...
Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the debate. It is right that we look at the NHS. However, I sometimes think, when Labour brings these health issues to the chamber, that its membe...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
Sixteen years ago.
Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
That was 16 years ago—what is happening now?
Fulton MacGregor
SNP
Members are saying “16 years”, but that is—
Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Will the member give way?
Fulton MacGregor
SNP
I will not be taking any interventions, because I have only four minutes—Labour should have picked a time when there was longer for debate. The key issue in...
Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the member take a brief intervention on that point?
Fulton MacGregor
SNP
I cannot—I am sorry. That applies to the health service not only in Scotland but in Northern Ireland, Wales and England. The Labour motion completely fails ...
Daniel Johnson
Lab
Will the member give way?
Fulton MacGregor
SNP
No, I will not.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The member is about to conclude.
Fulton MacGregor
SNP
The Scottish Government supported buy-outs of hospital car parks in Glasgow and Dundee last year and supported the ending of private finance initiative contr...