Chamber
Plenary, 27 Sep 2001
27 Sep 2001 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
“Value Nurses” Campaign
I welcome the nurses, who come from a virtually all-female profession, to the Scottish Parliament. It is worth noting that the vast majority of nurses, midwives and health visitors are women. I say that because there are issues to do with conditions of employment that need to be addressed. I am referring to shift patterns and other matters that concern nurses.
I declare an interest in this issue, in that I cut my teeth as a union official for the GMB. Few members may know that the GMB organises nurses. I welcome the campaign by the Royal College of Nursing, but it should be recognised that other trade unions are also working to improve conditions for nurses.
I want to make a few points about what has been done wrong in the past and about the way in which the morale of nurses, midwives and health visitors has been damaged. The clinical grading exercise of 1989 was damaging to the profession. In that process, every nurse had to justify their existence and what they did. The exercise set nurse against nurse and midwife against midwife. I hope that we can move on from that and that we can give nurses their true place, on the basis of what they do in the health service.
I am pleased that we have abolished two-stage pay offers for nurses, midwives and health visitors. I am also pleased that we are not considering performance-related pay, which featured under the previous Conservative Government. There is no place for performance-related pay in the nursing profession.
I want to say a few words about the plight of enrolled nurses. In my time as a union official I represented many enrolled nurses, and I believe that they are a particularly important part of the profession. In the past, enrolled nurses have been asked to pay their own way in order to retrain as first-level registered nurses. It is not acceptable that any nurse—particularly an enrolled nurse—should have to pay for their development and training. I hope that that issue can be investigated.
I believe whole-heartedly that the nursing profession is able to take up many of the challenges of the NHS. This is not just about pay; it is about conditions and about giving nurses their rightful place in the health service, so that they can deliver more skilled care. That would help us to retain nurses in the health service.
It is no longer good enough to rely on the good will and commitment of nurses. We need a strategy that will support them financially and in their studies. If we get that right, we will retain the nurses, midwives and health visitors who make up an important part of our health service.
I declare an interest in this issue, in that I cut my teeth as a union official for the GMB. Few members may know that the GMB organises nurses. I welcome the campaign by the Royal College of Nursing, but it should be recognised that other trade unions are also working to improve conditions for nurses.
I want to make a few points about what has been done wrong in the past and about the way in which the morale of nurses, midwives and health visitors has been damaged. The clinical grading exercise of 1989 was damaging to the profession. In that process, every nurse had to justify their existence and what they did. The exercise set nurse against nurse and midwife against midwife. I hope that we can move on from that and that we can give nurses their true place, on the basis of what they do in the health service.
I am pleased that we have abolished two-stage pay offers for nurses, midwives and health visitors. I am also pleased that we are not considering performance-related pay, which featured under the previous Conservative Government. There is no place for performance-related pay in the nursing profession.
I want to say a few words about the plight of enrolled nurses. In my time as a union official I represented many enrolled nurses, and I believe that they are a particularly important part of the profession. In the past, enrolled nurses have been asked to pay their own way in order to retrain as first-level registered nurses. It is not acceptable that any nurse—particularly an enrolled nurse—should have to pay for their development and training. I hope that that issue can be investigated.
I believe whole-heartedly that the nursing profession is able to take up many of the challenges of the NHS. This is not just about pay; it is about conditions and about giving nurses their rightful place in the health service, so that they can deliver more skilled care. That would help us to retain nurses in the health service.
It is no longer good enough to rely on the good will and commitment of nurses. We need a strategy that will support them financially and in their studies. If we get that right, we will retain the nurses, midwives and health visitors who make up an important part of our health service.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel):
NPA
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S1M-2054, in the name of Margaret Smith, on the Royal College of Nursing Scotland's value ...
Motion debated,
That the Parliament supports the Royal College of Nursing Scotland's "Value Nurses" campaign, which highlights the crucial role that nurses play in deliverin...
Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD):
LD
I am delighted and honoured to sponsor a motion to value and recognise the wide range of work done by Scotland's nurses and to support the RCN's value nurses...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
SNP
I will not be able to call everyone, even with speeches of three minutes, so I am prepared to entertain a motion without notice to extend the debate by 10 mi...
Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP):
SNP
May I move a motion to extend the business?
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
Yes.
Motion moved,
That the meeting be extended by 10 minutes.—Mrs Margaret Ewing.
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
The question is, that the motion be agreed to.
Motion agreed to.
Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab):
Lab
I must declare an interest—I am a member of Unison. As the only nurse in the Scottish Parliament, I feel qualified to contribute to the debate. Margaret Smit...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
I congratulate Margaret Smith on securing the debate and Janis Hughes on her contribution to it. I am sure that there will not be a great deal of controversy...
Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
I congratulate Margaret Smith on securing the debate, which I welcome. Well motivated, happy nurses are key members of our Scottish health team. Two weeks ag...
Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab):
Lab
I hesitate to introduce a partisan element to the debate, but Mr McGrigor has prompted me to do so. I take it that, at some point in this year zero speech, h...
Mr McGrigor:
Con
I regret to say that the Conservative health spokesperson is currently recovering from a very bad car crash, and I am sorry that she is not here today. I do ...
Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD):
LD
In this brief speech, I will use my experience of the health service over the past few months to highlight two things we should do if we value our nurses.Fir...
Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I too congratulate Margaret Smith on securing this debate, and on making an excellent opening speech. In no way do I want to be partisan, but I think that th...
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP):
SSP
I endorse what Alex Neil said and I thank Margaret Smith for securing the debate and for the quality of her speech. Nurses are undoubtedly the Henrik Larsson...
Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome the nurses, who come from a virtually all-female profession, to the Scottish Parliament. It is worth noting that the vast majority of nurses, midwi...
Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I will be brief, to allow other members an opportunity to speak. I thank Margaret Smith for securing this important debate.As part of the RCN's value nurses ...
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con):
Con
I congratulate Margaret Smith on raising this extremely important debate. We should all be grateful to Scotland's nurses for what they have done over countle...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
I call Jamie Stone, to be followed by a 60-second speech from Kenny Gibson.
Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD):
LD
I also congratulate Margaret Smith on securing this debate. On behalf of the Liberal Democrats, I welcome our friends in the public gallery. Although the tur...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
We only have time for the briefest of contributions from Kenny Gibson.
Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
I thank the Presiding Officer for accepting my plea. I do not consider nursing to be a female profession but a caring profession. Although there are many thi...
Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
I congratulate Margaret Smith on securing today's welcome debate. I also add my support to the RCN's value nurses campaign. The minister and I are joining th...
The Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (Malcolm Chisholm):
Lab
I begin by congratulating Margaret Smith on securing the debate and by welcoming nurses to the public gallery. I applaud the enormous contribution that they ...
Mrs Ewing:
SNP
I have heard many of those comments before, sometimes in the House of Commons where I served as an RCN panel member. Will the minister give one concrete exam...
Malcolm Chisholm:
Lab
I made an announcement in the summer in response to one of those demands and I have stated clearly that the other demands—some of which I have yet to deal wi...