Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee 22 January 2025
PE2016, which was lodged by Gordon McPherson, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to raise awareness of the risk factors, signs and symptoms of thrombosis. We were hoping that Jackie Baillie would join us this morning, but she has been detained at another committee meeting in which she is participating.
We most recently considered the petition on 20 March 2024, at which time we agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care. We sought clarification on a discrepancy in the figures for deaths relating to thrombosis each year, which the petitioner had highlighted.
The cabinet secretary has explained that the smaller figure provided covers deaths from venous thrombosis, and the larger figure includes both venous thrombosis and arterial thrombosis. The risk factors for venous thrombosis and arterial thrombosis, which can lead to heart attack and stroke, are very different. The Scottish Government has different strategies for each, including in relation to its approach to public awareness raising and clinical guidance.
The response points to the Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network’s national clinical guidance on the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism in patients with Covid-19. That guidance was published in 2021, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines were updated in August 2023.
The cabinet secretary stated that, in the light of the updated material for clinicians and the revised guidance for the general public, the Scottish Government has determined that the cost of a public awareness campaign on thrombosis is not justified at this time.
Do members have any suggestions as to how we might proceed?