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Plenary, 25 Nov 1999

25 Nov 1999 · S1 · Plenary

Item of business

Carers Strategy

Scanlon, Mary Con Highlands and Islands Watch on SPTV

Much of what I wanted to say has been said. I am delighted that there is such consensus on this issue. I would like to think that, whether in a small or in a more committed way, all of us in and outside this chamber are carers who have a commitment to care for people, be they family members or others.

I welcome the Executive's commitment in its programme for government to introduce a carers strategy. Conservative members will certainly support the motion. We welcome the consultation with local carers organisations, the monitoring of services, the carers legislation working group, community care plans, the census question, the national standards and the commitment to better- targeted information.

It is difficult to put those elements in any sort of order, but perhaps the most important is the question on carers in the 2001 census, as we do not have the information on which to base and target our support and advice for carers. I welcome the fact that we will gain more information in the 2001 census.

I read the document that Iain Gray issued yesterday. I found the last sentence the most exciting. It promised:

"A second pension for carers . . . and the protection of pension entitlements of carers who have given up paid work to care."

Yes, I really liked that and got quite excited about it, until I read the date—2050. If my relative Dennis Canavan thought it rather odd that it should take 20 years to eradicate child poverty, I wonder how he would feel about the fact that it will take 50 years to fulfil that commitment of a second pension. That commitment was outlined in the Queen's speech last week and is in the Carers National Association Scotland strategy. I would like to hear the thoughts of the carers in the gallery today, who proposed the second pension to this listening Executive, on the 50-year phasing-in period.

Although we welcome the commitment, I thought that it warranted a reality check, so I looked up the Highland carers strategy, "Working Together to Make a Difference"—I shall briefly mention some of the points that it made. In Lochaber, there is no specialised nursing care for people with dementia and there is a crying need for more family-based carers for children. In Easter Ross, it has been suggested that there should be care managers in general practitioners' surgeries and that GPs and district nurses should play a greater role in caring. In Nairn, people feel frustrated by the fact that they have repeatedly expressed their needs but no action has resulted.

I know that this has already been mentioned, but the working partnership between social work departments and the national health service is nothing short of a national scandal. In reply to Kay Ullrich's question last week, we were told that more than 2,000 patients were blocking beds in Scotland, receiving inappropriate treatment and preventing others who were in need of treatment from gaining access to hospitals. I ask the minister to consider putting some of this money towards the services in the NHS that people really need.

Adam Ingram's point about mental illness is one that I have been made aware of by carers. They say that, because of the lack of information, they cannot adequately understand, support and give the appropriate care to the mentally ill. I appreciate that there must be patient confidentiality, but the issue must be re-examined to take account of the needs and problems of carers.

Finally, I want to mention a submission from one of my constituents, who said of a local day centre that

"the staff are not trained and are often on a ‘New Deal' job opportunity or even Community Service! This does not inspire confidence in the system—particularly where vulnerable, mentally-handicapped adults are in their care without supervision."

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Plenary, 25 Nov 1999

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