Meeting of the Parliament 11 February 2026 [Draft]
I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests, which shows that I hold a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
I begin as I did when I spoke on the subject two weeks ago, which is to express my deepest sympathies to all of those who are grieving the loss of a loved one in the circumstances that we are discussing today.
In 2019, the Scottish Government decided to establish a public inquiry to get to the truth. It did so precisely because the families’ pain was being compounded by having to tenaciously chase the truth themselves. An independent inquiry, with comprehensive statutory powers granted to it, is how we will get the level of open scrutiny and truth that families and patients deserve. That is what we all want to see.
As a nurse with 30 years’ experience, I have spoken previously in the Parliament about how important trust is to patients’ and families’ experiences of healthcare, and about how patient experience and reassurance are related to recovery and patient outcomes.
The Government’s amendment to today’s motion agrees that whistleblowers in Scotland’s NHS must be protected and supported; notes that NHS Assure was created in 2021 to improve risk management and safety in Scotland’s NHS estate; and acknowledges notes that both Healthcare Improvement Scotland and independent experts have commented on the procedures now in place to ensure the safety of hospital for patients and staff. I also welcome the involvement of Sir Lewis Ritchie in the safety and public confidence oversight group, which will look at specific issues, including in relation to the built environment and validation.
Let us pause for a second to remember that the independent public inquiry, which I am confident will provide the answers, reassurances and recommendations that we are all looking for, is still under way. While that is the case, it would be completely inappropriate for ministers to pre-empt its findings or final recommendations or otherwise direct its business.