Meeting of the Parliament 11 December 2025
I congratulate Daniel Johnson on securing this important debate. Mr Johnson and I co-hosted an event in October: the RCP report was launched in the morning, and a session took place later where colleagues came along to ask questions. I thought that it was a really helpful session. The report, in my view, is a very important offer to all of society in Scotland.
I will highlight one of the key messages that came out of that session, which was very unusual for the types of events that we all attend as members. Usually, when we go to such events, we always hear, “Can we get more money?”, but one of the key messages from that event was that there is a lot of money in the system—as Carol Mochan just touched on—that could be better invested in people. There was certainly an ask for more money, but it was not the key issue.
The 10 recommendations in the report are all extremely important, but I will touch on just three. The recommendations are helpful in promoting engagement and trying to deliver better outcomes for autistic people and people with ADHD. I have engaged extensively with constituents and with family members who have children with autism or ADHD, and I know that there is a societal challenge in Scotland that we have to try to address. There are, of course, wider issues in this area that exist not just in Scotland but around the world. Nonetheless, in Parliament, we need to think about what we, as parliamentarians, can do.
I sent the report to constituents to let them read and digest it, and make up their own minds as to what they think that it can actually do.
All 10 of the recommendations have merits, but some would be challenging to deliver, particularly in a short timescale. To me, recommendation 1, which Daniel Johnson touched on, is really important. I will read out the title for the Official Report. It is:
“Demand driven by the need for support in the workplace, in places of education and from the benefits system”.
What is proposed could be transformational in terms of healthcare being offered. There is a challenge regarding the Department for Work and Pensions, because we do not have those powers here. It might therefore take a bit of time to deal with that recommendation, but it should be dealt with. Constituents have regularly raised issues with me regarding a need for diagnosis before care is provided. The five suggestions that are made under recommendation 1 could be beneficial in that regard, although I am of the opinion that some of them would be challenging to deliver—the one that involves the DWP in particular.
Recommendation 2 calls for a public health-informed approach. That makes sense and, if we push for it, it could be achieved as a quick win.
Recommendation 5, which is on page 15 of the report, is about national strategies and resources. To me, it is one of the most important recommendations. I hear from people who are concerned regarding the high percentage of people who are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions. It is challenging for those who need support, including those who need more advanced support, and the recommendation is crucial to help to deliver that.
I am conscious of time, so I will not go through all the recommendations, but I welcome the report, which is helpful. I hope that the recommendations will stimulate further discussion and dialogue, but also decision making so that we can get better outcomes for the people we all represent. We have societal challenges, but the report can certainly help to move the dial. Healthcare professionals have provided a set of recommendations to help. They know that there is money in the NHS system that could be better invested, and the recommendations are very worthy of consideration and further discussion, because they could genuinely make a huge difference for the people we are here to represent.
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