Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur) LD

The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-19512, in the name of Jackie Baillie, on Scotland’s maternity services. I invite members who wish to part...

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Lab

The birth of a child is probably the most significant and special event for any mother, but in Scotland today, sadly, that is not always the case. Last week,...

Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con) Con

Will the member take an intervention?

Jackie Baillie Lab

I am happy to do so.

Finlay Carson Con

Although patient safety is paramount, does the member accept that the reduction in the number of midwives through poor workplace management has reduced the c...

Jackie Baillie Lab

I agree—understaffing is one of the key problems in some of the distressing cases that I outlined and also in being able to provide safe midwifery-led servic...

The Deputy Presiding Officer LD

Unfortunately, the baby cannot move the motion, Ms Baillie, so I would be grateful if you could do so. Laughter.

Jackie Baillie Lab

I move, That the Parliament is alarmed by the serious patient safety issues raised in recent inspection reports of maternity services, and calls on the Scot...

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (Neil Gray) SNP

I thank Jackie Baillie for lodging the motion for debate. I agree with a substantial amount of what she has put on the record today. I provided a statement ...

Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

Does the cabinet secretary agree that the experience of women who miscarry needs to be looked at, too? One of my constituents had to wait while two parts of ...

Neil Gray SNP

I absolutely agree with Sarah Boyack. I expect that to be part of the improvements that need to come through from Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s review, b...

Sandesh Gulhane (Glasgow) (Con) Con

I thank the cabinet secretary for taking my intervention. I declare an interest as a practising NHS general practitioner. Repeated surveys show that obstetr...

Neil Gray SNP

I made it absolutely clear in response to questions from Dr Gulhane’s colleague Stephen Kerr last week about my very clear expectation for the culture in our...

Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con) Con

Will Neil Gray take an intervention?

Neil Gray SNP

I need to make some progress, so I hope that members will forgive me. I will see whether I can come to Mr Kerr later. I know that members of the Parliament ...

Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?

Neil Gray SNP

I will try to come back to Pam Duncan-Glancy. I want to make progress, but I also want to ensure that colleagues have the opportunity to have their say. I w...

Jackie Baillie Lab

A national investigation would not be in place of the work that is going on—it would go alongside that and would recognise that this issue does not just affe...

Neil Gray SNP

I recognise the point that Jackie Baillie makes. I believe that the HIS inspection regime allows us to get into greater detail at local levels and allows us ...

Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD) LD

I understand the cabinet secretary’s point, which is that he wants immediate action. However, in his statement last week, he set out a series of investigatio...

Neil Gray SNP

I disagree. Healthcare Improvement Scotland inspections have only begun this year to uncover the challenges that we have seen in Tayside and in Lothian. They...

Pam Duncan-Glancy Lab

My colleague Marie Tidball MP has started a campaign about the experience of disabled people during maternity on the back of the London School of Hygiene and...

Neil Gray SNP

It absolutely has to be, of course; there is no equivocation on that. The new Scottish maternity and neonatal task force, which I announced last week, will ...

Stephen Kerr Con

Will the cabinet secretary give way?

Neil Gray SNP

I do not know how much time I have left.

The Deputy Presiding Officer LD

We have used up all the time in hand. I expect to extend the debate a little, given the nature of the discussions, but, as I say, we are over time.

Neil Gray SNP

If Mr Kerr could be pithy, I will take the intervention.

Stephen Kerr Con

I will be very pithy. Despite what the cabinet secretary says, I cannot see how, without a national inquiry, we can get to the issues of culture that he spok...

Neil Gray SNP

I have already said that, should the HIS inspections that we are getting before March, and the task force, recommend that course, that is what I will do. I b...

Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD) LD

Will the cabinet secretary give way?