Hansard

I thank Rona Mackay for the opportunity to speak in this debate about aphasia. Among those who are joining us in the public gallery today are just some of the estimated 40,000 people in Scotland who live with the condition, often as a consequence of stroke or brain injury.

Despite the fact that aphasia is more common than many well-known conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, many people across the country and more widely have never heard of it. We know that the ability to use and understand language underpins all our lives. For people with aphasia, that ability is impaired or sometimes lost altogether. All aspects of communication, from speaking and listening to reading and writing, can be affected. We can all recognise, not just as parliamentarians but as citizens—the people—of Scotland, the huge impact that the condition would have on a person’s life, their work and their relationships.

In comparison with other stroke survivors, people who live with aphasia are more likely to experience difficulties in returning to work, and as a consequence they are more likely to experience financial difficulties, too. Rona Mackay spoke eloquently about the issue of stigma—about how people are affected by it and how they are made to feel. That aspect can certainly be compounded by financial difficulties as a result of the condition.

It gives me great pride to see the work that is being done in Dundee and across the north-east to support people living with aphasia. Earlier this year, STV News told the story of Wendy Wallace from Dundee. After attending a series of art workshops with other people living with aphasia, Wendy found that she was able to use art to communicate in ways that she has struggled to do since having a stroke back in 2015. That is a moving reminder of the power of art to communicate when words fail us.

As mentioned by my colleague, Speakability Tayside is a volunteer-run support group for people living with aphasia. Speakability is part of the Stroke Association and it has supported people living with aphasia for 25 years. Ahead of the debate, I was pleased to hear from constituents who are involved in that important work as volunteers. They paid particular tribute to Helen Gowland from Broughty Ferry, who lives with aphasia and serves as chairperson of Speakability. Helen has led the group with distinction for 25 years, and my constituents were keen that she be recognised in the Parliament for her many years of service. I know that colleagues across the chamber will join me in thanking her for her work on behalf of her fellow sufferers and the community in which she lives.

Stroke remains a significant national problem, with more than 10,000 sufferers per annum in Scotland. It is a leading cause of adult disability in this country in many different ways. We have already heard about the plans that are in place to improve services, but the provision of thrombectomy in Scotland is very poor, running behind the rest of the UK in terms of its availability, both in geographic terms—where it is available—and, crucially, the times that it is available. If a stroke occurs within office hours, availability is much more widely spread. Roz McCall pointed out some of those facts.

Aphasia is just one consequence of the lack of ability to treat people in the golden hour when a difference can be made. I recently visited the image-guided therapy research facility led by Professor Iris Grunwald at the University of Dundee. Many people will have seen the coverage of mobile thrombectomy being done across the Atlantic, with a virtual reality facility allowing remote operations. If more of that availability was supported across Scotland, we could do much more to prevent the long-term health impacts that we see.

Volunteers have also told me that they desperately want to see increased awareness of the condition. I sincerely hope that today’s debate goes some way towards helping with that. There are simple steps that we can all take to help sufferers, such as reducing background noise, slowing down and giving people extra time to think and respond. That would make a world of difference to people with aphasia.

I am grateful to Dr Abi Roper, a speech and language therapist and research fellow based in Dundee, for sharing some of the excellent work that is being done. In August 2025, Dr Roper chaired the international aphasia conference in Dundee that brought together 200 people from across the globe who live with aphasia themselves, support others who do so or are researchers investigating the condition. It is hugely encouraging to hear that a growing international community is working together to better understand aphasia and support people living with it. I am sure that we wish them every success in the future, for the sake of the many thousands of people living with the condition across Scotland.