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Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 24 February 2026 [Draft]

24 Feb 2026 · S6 · Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Item of business

Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Gulhane, Sandesh Con Glasgow Watch on SPTV

:I will make general comments on this group of amendments. If we are talking about permitted premises under HIS standards, we are saying that a basic standard needs to be applied to anything that has a medical context. I think that it would surprise many people that, in a medical setting, you cannot use a normal fridge; you have to use a medical-grade fridge to store medicines, toxins and lots of other things, and you need to have documentation on the temperatures of the fridge. You need to ensure that there is a clear chain of documentation that notes when the medication was taken out of the fridge, when it was used and when it was binned. I am pretty sure that fizz and filler parties, which we have spoken about in the committee, would not follow that advice.We are also talking about cleaning surfaces. When you go to see a GP or a dentist, you simply would not accept sitting on equipment that cannot be cleaned or is not clean. We should guard against anything that would water down HIS standards for injections and what I would suggest are medical interventions.On the physical presence of a prescriber, we need to make clear exactly what we are talking about. I have two issues with that. For many years, I worked in orthopaedics, and I often operated alone in a theatre. However, the surgical list was never in my name; it was in the consultant’s name. Despite how senior I was, the consultant was in charge of the list. Other consultants and other people who were around could come in if something went wrong. That would be the case for a simple surgical procedure such as a carpal tunnel operation, which you would expect someone to be able to do at a junior level. It is not as straightforward as simply letting someone crack on with it.I would like to discuss this with the minister at stage 3, but I am very concerned about the idea of giving blank prescriptions. For medical devices or prescription medications, you need to be given a prescription that is cashed before the medication is used. Someone could be writing a blank prescription for botulinum toxin, which is the most deadly toxin there is, and have no idea how it is being used, who it is being used on, the appropriateness of its use or the documentation on informed consent.I have a real worry. As a GP, I trust allied healthcare professionals, and I trust advanced nurse practitioners, who have been doing their job for 20-odd years. I would not give them a blank prescription for antibiotics. If they thought that their patient needed something, they would discuss that with me or they would independently prescribe for their patient. I would not give them a blank prescription for cancer meds.

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Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 24 February 2026 [Draft]

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