Chamber
Plenary, 09 May 2002
09 May 2002 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Nurses
Jamie McGrigor's contribution—or perhaps what was omitted from it—speaks volumes about the lack of consensus in Scotland on sustained and rising investment in the NHS. We will return to that theme in the months and years to come.
I welcome what the minister said in a debate that is of particular importance as it falls in international nurses week. It is obvious that ministers are aware that nurses and other health professionals are wholly thirled to investment in skills and people, so the investments in training and skills that the minister has announced are most welcome.
We have a world-class reputation for excellence in nursing, in midwifery and—increasingly—in health care education. I mention the benefits that arise nationally, across the UK and internationally from the work that is being undertaken at institutions such as Glasgow Caledonian University, which is in the constituency of my colleague Pauline McNeill. That institution is making a particular contribution to supporting the developing skills and training agenda. The programmes of its innovative department of nursing and community health, which are delivered by a multidisciplinary group, operate through the use of controlled learning environments, including skills learning laboratories. The facilities—which I urge Malcolm Chisholm and other ministers to visit if they have not yet done so—allow nursing students and nurse returners to respond to and learn from their participation in complex nursing case studies in the context of a simulated learning environment. This week, the benefits of such programmes are being discussed as far away as Jordan.
I want to mention the importance of providing nursing staff and others with designed-for-purpose buildings, which co-locate diagnostic, out-patient, day patient, casualty and day surgery services with the professions that are allied to medicine. Such buildings allow as much as possible to be done in a single visit and avoid an unnecessary series of repeated visits. Developments of that kind must be good for patients and staff, as they offer enhanced opportunities to develop new skills and allow medical and nursing staff to work together in multidisciplinary teams to meet patients' needs more effectively and to deliver convenient and seamless care.
My colleague Paul Martin and I are determined that early progress should be made on the same-day hospital at the Stobhill health campus, which is in Paul Martin's constituency. We will continue to discuss in-patient beds with Scottish ministers and the minister will have our full support in encouraging Greater Glasgow NHS Board to expedite work as soon as possible at the new £60 million facility.
I welcome the progress that has been made on nurse practitioner prescribing, which was in currency as long ago as 1987. That idea was kicked about by the Tories, just as they kicked about the NHS as a whole. Nurse practitioner prescribing has been delivered under Labour only in the past three years. Such career opportunities for nurse practitioners are part of the process of rebuilding Scotland's national health service.
I welcome what the minister said in a debate that is of particular importance as it falls in international nurses week. It is obvious that ministers are aware that nurses and other health professionals are wholly thirled to investment in skills and people, so the investments in training and skills that the minister has announced are most welcome.
We have a world-class reputation for excellence in nursing, in midwifery and—increasingly—in health care education. I mention the benefits that arise nationally, across the UK and internationally from the work that is being undertaken at institutions such as Glasgow Caledonian University, which is in the constituency of my colleague Pauline McNeill. That institution is making a particular contribution to supporting the developing skills and training agenda. The programmes of its innovative department of nursing and community health, which are delivered by a multidisciplinary group, operate through the use of controlled learning environments, including skills learning laboratories. The facilities—which I urge Malcolm Chisholm and other ministers to visit if they have not yet done so—allow nursing students and nurse returners to respond to and learn from their participation in complex nursing case studies in the context of a simulated learning environment. This week, the benefits of such programmes are being discussed as far away as Jordan.
I want to mention the importance of providing nursing staff and others with designed-for-purpose buildings, which co-locate diagnostic, out-patient, day patient, casualty and day surgery services with the professions that are allied to medicine. Such buildings allow as much as possible to be done in a single visit and avoid an unnecessary series of repeated visits. Developments of that kind must be good for patients and staff, as they offer enhanced opportunities to develop new skills and allow medical and nursing staff to work together in multidisciplinary teams to meet patients' needs more effectively and to deliver convenient and seamless care.
My colleague Paul Martin and I are determined that early progress should be made on the same-day hospital at the Stobhill health campus, which is in Paul Martin's constituency. We will continue to discuss in-patient beds with Scottish ministers and the minister will have our full support in encouraging Greater Glasgow NHS Board to expedite work as soon as possible at the new £60 million facility.
I welcome the progress that has been made on nurse practitioner prescribing, which was in currency as long ago as 1987. That idea was kicked about by the Tories, just as they kicked about the NHS as a whole. Nurse practitioner prescribing has been delivered under Labour only in the past three years. Such career opportunities for nurse practitioners are part of the process of rebuilding Scotland's national health service.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel):
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S1M-3078, in the name of Malcolm Chisholm, on action to recruit, retain and value nurses, and two amendments ...
The Minister for Health and Community Care (Malcolm Chisholm):
Lab
The delivery of health services for patients requires a combination of sustained investment and reform—investment in staff, equipment, facilities and new tre...
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP):
SSP
Will Malcolm Chisholm give way?
Malcolm Chisholm:
Lab
In a moment. I need to make more progress first.We want all those who qualify to secure employment within NHS Scotland, if they wish to do so. We have theref...
Tommy Sheridan:
SSP
My question relates specifically to nurses' bursaries. Given his experience of speaking at various conferences, the minister will surely accept that the bigg...
Malcolm Chisholm:
Lab
There will be a further increase in bursaries this year. I am aware of the issue that Tommy Sheridan raises, and I am sure that it will come up at the specia...
Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Will the minister give way?
Malcolm Chisholm:
Lab
Time will not allow me to take an intervention. I have only one and a half minutes left.Flexibility is another key issue that has been raised at nursing conv...
Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
I thank nurses, midwives and health visitors for the enormous contribution that they make to patient care and the national health service. I also pay tribute...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
Another week, another health debate, and this week another health minister, too. I welcome this debate on recruiting, retaining and valuing nurses, given tha...
Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD):
LD
I am pleased to speak in the debate to acknowledge the work that Scotland's nurses do in international nurses week and throughout the year, and to highlight ...
Brian Adam:
SNP
Will Margaret Smith give way?
Mrs Smith:
LD
I will not give way. I have no time. I have only five minutes.
Brian Adam:
SNP
There will be no debate if she does not give way.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
SNP
Order.
Mrs Smith:
LD
In areas in which the Scottish Executive has the power to make a positive difference to conditions, it has been listening to the RCN's campaign and has made ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
We now come to the open debate. We are obviously tight for time, but I will allow speeches of four minutes with some extra time for interventions.
Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab):
Lab
I agree with other members that it is highly appropriate for us to hold this debate during international nurses week. Since 1997, Labour has delivered 20,000...
Nicola Sturgeon:
SNP
Will Sarah Boyack give way?
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
No, thank you, Ms Sturgeon. Those concerns are a legacy of what the Tories did to the health service. The recent pronouncements of Liam Fox show the Tories' ...
Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con):
Con
Will the member take an intervention?
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
I will take a brief intervention.
Ben Wallace:
Con
How does Ms Boyack reconcile her fine words and the fine words of the Scottish Executive with the fact that the chancellor will take £5.8 million out of the ...
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
I have not met any nurse who is unhappy about the massive increase that everyone recognises is going into the NHS. We need to talk up the fact that the money...
Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
Nurses now take on greater roles and greater responsibilities than ever before, but the average age of nurses is increasing. The average age in Scotland is n...
Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
The contribution that our nurses make to our health care system is phenomenal. They are the backbone of the NHS and without them the NHS would crumble. There...
Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab):
Lab
Jamie McGrigor's contribution—or perhaps what was omitted from it—speaks volumes about the lack of consensus in Scotland on sustained and rising investment i...
Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Members of all parties have produced statistics on a variety of issues, such as the number of nurses who leave the profession, the number of nursing students...
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
I will concentrate on two points—job satisfaction and prisons. Three things make a job worth having and attract people to it: pay and conditions; the public ...
Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab):
Lab
I declare an interest as a member of Unison. As a nurse, I am delighted to speak in today's debate. During my years in the health service, I considered mysel...