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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

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1999–2026
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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): Ind Committee
06 Mar 2007
Free Personal Care
My question is mainly on the workforce. I do not think that a council can run a service or implement a policy if it does not have the staff. You have highlighted the way in which social workers, care staff and so on go about delivering the service. Angus Council has said that ...
Dr Turner: Ind Chamber
15 Feb 2007
Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
Amendment 4 seeks to ensure that council officers who have the power to enter premises and remove an adult at risk of harm are social workers with at least 12 months' experience since qualifying. The Health Committee was concerned when it first received the bill that council o...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
28 Mar 2006
Care Inquiry
A doctor might decide that someone needs care, but then there is a delay because a social worker must make an assessment. Another, hidden delay arises between the decision being made that someone needs an assessment for a care package and the assessment being carried out. Not ...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
16 May 2006
Care Inquiry
Money and people are obviously essential in running the service. In evidence, we heard of the fear that there might not be enough money if demand for direct payments increased. We also heard of the fears that social workers and others would be overworked and unable to cope. Wo...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
06 Mar 2007
Free Personal Care
Table A6.1 in Paolo Vestri's report shows the number of people who are waiting for community care assessments. The figures for the City of Edinburgh Council, Glasgow City Council and East Lothian Council, for example, are quite different. To what extent are those differences d...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
16 Dec 2003
National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
That certainly happened in some areas before the creation of community health partnerships. All those people worked together in a geographical area. In connection with the local authority, would there be more involvement with social work and housing services?
Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): Ind Committee
11 Jan 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am not sure whether this is the right point at which to ask this question, which is about the wholly enclosed places. Hospital grounds, which are usually large, wide-open spaces, are non-smoking areas. I am also thinking about the concourses of railway stations, which are re...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
11 Jan 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I can understand why, if somebody who needs to see a dentist because they have a terrible abscess has to wait for a GP to give them a certificate, they would want to get that sorted out. However, I can see problems arising with continuity of care. If a patient has other health...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
11 Jan 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
The matter of joint ventures has provoked most thought—there are so many questions because we did not have enough examples. Would you consider a joint venture like some of the initiatives that occurred after the sale of hospital land? NHS or public money could go into a ventur...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
11 Jan 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I take it that the purpose is profit for the NHS.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
11 Jan 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Are the share proportions clear?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
11 Jan 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
We should be able to access such information easily.
Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): Ind Committee
22 Feb 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
The questions that arise in my head about competition and the health boards taking over supply of pharmaceutical services relate to the British Medical Association's concerns about doctors dispensing. Dispensing by doctors is an advantage to patients in rural areas, but the si...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
22 Feb 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
What will happen when pharmacists are on holiday? Has that been worked out—
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
22 Feb 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Sorry. My question is about what will happen with locums. The prescribing pharmacist might provide a good and effective service on which the community depends but, if the service is specific to a pharmacist, will there be difficulties when he goes on holiday if the locum is no...
Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): Ind Committee
01 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
There is a crossover in what you were talking about. I was going to go into the details of the provisions on unsuitability by virtue of professional or personal conduct, but we have discussed that. The Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council suggests in its submission that"uns...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
01 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I have two questions on the matter of filling in the form: one is on the form itself and the other is on the private nature of the company. I know of at least one person who is having great difficulty with filling in the form. How many consultant haematologists have said that ...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
01 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am concerned about the fact that a private company should have been formed in order to distribute the fund. I think that it was the Scottish haemophilia forum that went into detail about the private nature of the company. I do not understand why that had to happen. My unders...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
01 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
That is what I thought.
Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Good afternoon. It would seem that you welcome the fact that more people than just general practitioners will be able to issue certificates of incapacity. A concern about training is common to all your submissions. The submission from the Scottish Association for Mental Health...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
What do you think about physiotherapists being included in the list of people who can assess? Many people will need the services of a physiotherapist. I imagine that, like others, they would like training.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
If people were not asked about the list, they would not have been able to highlight any apparent anomalies in it.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
You probably heard the previous witnesses say that training is important, and you have all said that in your written evidence. Where should that training take place? I imagine that there may be a cost to training and workforce planning in the implementation of training.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Are any difficulties being experienced with how things work in practice at present, with respect to feedback being given to the general practitioner—the family doctor—of the patient who requires the certificate? There is a requirement to have information on the patient's medic...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I have a question relating to something that Shona Robison said.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
It is to do with outline business cases not being perfect. Does business cases' not being perfect have anything to do with the fact that you might get only one contractor bidding? The idea is that a project should be cost effective. As many bidders as possible would be wanted,...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Does Partnerships UK sort out business cases that are perhaps not perfect? As you said, costs would escalate if a project was to go ahead despite the business case's not being complete at the beginning, in which case the builders would find out that they would have to add in t...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Is that because the projects are smaller than hospitals?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Are there any concerns about the possible loss of flexibility that might arise if joint ventures for new health centres involve increased numbers of partners such as schools, libraries, optometrists or any private organisations that one might care to name? I worked in a health...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I have a question for John Park. You said that you are afraid of privatisation, but will you elaborate on that?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
08 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Both.
Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
We accept that cigarettes are an addiction and all packets carry a message indicating that they kill. You accept that there is a decline in smoking in the population and that probably 70 per cent of people do not smoke. You are catering for the 30 per cent who still smoke. Do ...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I have asked a question. We can run through things quickly. We accept that cigarettes kill—that is stated on every packet.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I am asking whether the witnesses accept that cigarettes kill, as is stated on the packets. The answer should be a quick yes.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Are you not catering for the 30 per cent of people in this country who still smoke?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Exactly. You will have a business plan for the future if a ban is introduced. You have probably looked into the benefits of a ban, some of which have been mentioned. Cleaning bills, fire risk and so on would go down.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Public houses in Ireland accepted the situation and changed their business trends. I suppose that you would do the same.Let me be more scientific and talk about the duty of care. In New York, a decision was made to carry out blood tests. I would like to hear your scientific ta...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Do you think that it was sensible to carry out the tests in New York?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Do you accept that that is better than doing nothing? If you had figures from before, during and after exposure, they might be statistically significant over time.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
If you wanted to look after the people in establishments, you would not look to carry out air tests, because you think that the air is okay. However, we have heard evidence that sometimes people do not turn on the ventilation, because it is too expensive. Would it be a good id...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Staff might agree to the procedure if they thought that you had their interests at heart.It has been said that the proposals will result in more smoking at home, but the experience in Australia seems to show that a reduction in smoking in the workplace results in less exposure...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
We have been aware for more than 35 years—probably 40 years—that cigarettes are not good for us and that even to inhale the smoke of cigarettes may not be good for us. Given that Scotland has the worst health record in the UK, and perhaps in Europe, it is not a surprise that w...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Do you accept that cigarettes and alcohol go together and that people drink more when they smoke? There might be a cost benefit for you in encouraging people to smoke.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Given that you agree that environmental tobacco smoke is a health hazard and that you would like a gradual implementation of measures, when do you believe that a ban could be introduced in Scotland?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
The measures would last for only three years, according to your evidence.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I, too, have a question of clarification about hotel rooms. I am sure that I read somewhere that, although hotel premises are covered by the bill, it may be possible to designate smoking and non-smoking rooms.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
So you would rather that all hotel rooms were smoking rooms.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
We are talking only about bedrooms.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Are you happy about the provisions as they relate to the downstairs bars and restaurant areas?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
You would accept the ban for downstairs but not for the bedrooms, which you would like to be within your jurisdiction. Your proposal has cost implications, however. The bedside rugs and carpets in many hotel bedrooms have cigarette burns. What is the annual cost of repairs and...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
That is clear. Thank you. You are also concerned about recruitment. In your submission, you say:"As currently drafted section 7 appears to suggest that owners or head landlords may be proceeded against even in circumstances where they are not in day to day control of the busin...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
On recruitment, do you not think that people would want to work in premises where there was no smoking? Allowing smoking might be a factor in their not wanting to work there.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Do you think that factors other than a cigarette ban would cause trouble in recruitment?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I address my questions to Deputy Chief Constable Mellor. There has been a hint that, because people will be forced out of pubs and on to the streets, the police might be busier on the streets. Will you comment on that? It seems from your evidence that you do not expect to be m...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Earlier, I tried to point out that blood test studies in New York have proved that breakdown products of nicotine are diminishing in the bloodstreams of people who work in premises in which there has been a smoking ban and that such products were proving to be a good indicator...
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Are such studies worth while, or are there other indicators that are easier to measure?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Is it a better indicator than carbon monoxide?
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
Did you clarify whether the Geens study proved that the pub that had a ban had better air than the pub that did not have a ban, if like was compared with like on the correct graphs? Forgive me if you have clarified that matter.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
It is good to have that clarified.
Dr Turner: Ind Committee
15 Mar 2005
Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I have a quick question about the heating and ventilation industry. I take it that you will not be expecting to lose many people from that industry, because I understand that there is heating and ventilation in premises anyway. Would you expect to lose anybody in that area?
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Committee

Health Committee, 06 Mar 2007

06 Mar 2007 · S2 · Health Committee
Item of business
Free Personal Care
Turner, Dr Jean Ind Strathkelvin and Bearsden Watch on SPTV
My question is mainly on the workforce. I do not think that a council can run a service or implement a policy if it does not have the staff. You have highlighted the way in which social workers, care staff and so on go about delivering the service. Angus Council has said that one in six of its 600 care staff are about to retire, as they are aged 59 or over. Do you think that the local authorities are looking towards the recruitment and retention of staff? That is one concern that you have highlighted.Another concern is the inability of staff to take time off for training if there are not enough social workers to replace them and do the assessment work. I think that Glasgow City Council pays its social workers more than other authorities. I wonder whether there is any indication, from what you have found out, that how much staff are paid makes a difference to whether people want to stay in what is a very stressful job.

In the same item of business

The Deputy Convener (Janis Hughes): Lab
I welcome to this afternoon's meeting of the Health Committee Paolo Vestri and the people in the public gallery. We have received apologies from Roseanna Cun...
Paolo Vestri (Hexagon Research and Consulting):
I thank the committee for giving me the opportunity to present a summary of the report's findings. I hope that members appreciate that, given that the report...
The Deputy Convener: Lab
Thank you. The committee welcomes the fact that you concur with our report. We stated that"the policy of free personal care … has been a success".I note that...
Paolo Vestri:
It is a bit of both. The situation varies among authorities. The reason given also varies when you speak to different people. Obviously, if authorities have ...
The Deputy Convener: Lab
That is reassuring.
Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): SNP
From my calculations, the research shows that although 27 of the 32 local authorities operate some kind of waiting system, whether for assessment or for serv...
Paolo Vestri:
On your second point, we did not get into dialogue with local authorities about that possibility. Dialogue is on-going between individual local authorities, ...
Shona Robison: SNP
How well are the local authorities communicating with people who are waiting and their families about the reasons for the wait and the progress that has been...
Paolo Vestri:
We did not go into the detail of individual cases, as that would have been difficult, so it is difficult to comment on individual cases. However, in general,...
Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): Ind
My question is mainly on the workforce. I do not think that a council can run a service or implement a policy if it does not have the staff. You have highlig...
Paolo Vestri:
I will address your last point first. We did not look in detail at pay and conditions because they vary, to an extent, although pay varies less. Local author...
Dr Turner: Ind
Especially in the area that you have been talking about, the implications of upskilling the workforce are very important. If domestic care staff are to be up...
Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): Con
Mr Vestri, could you elaborate on the quality of the care that is provided? Both users and carers have concerns about the way in which services are provided ...
Paolo Vestri:
Those are key points. When we looked at the quality of the care that is provided, we found that the vast majority of people who receive care services are com...
Mrs Milne: Con
Continuity of care is another issue that I know about through personal experience in my family. If a carer does not come to work, perhaps because they are on...
Paolo Vestri:
That is true. Continuity of care depends largely on the local authority's capacity. Local authorities do not have spare staff who wait around to fill in when...
Shona Robison: SNP
On pages 58 and 59 of the report, you comment on the lack of robust data, on which the baseline study commented as well. Have you seen the work that Jim and ...
Paolo Vestri:
We did not examine in detail the data on funding—either local authorities' income or the expenditure on free personal care and free nursing care—so I cannot ...
The Deputy Convener: Lab
Thank you for coming along today. You are welcome to take a seat in the public gallery and listen to the evidence that we take from the Deputy Minister for H...
Meeting suspended.
On resuming—
The Deputy Convener: Lab
I welcome the minister and his officials, Adam Rennie and Paul Gray, to the committee for the second part of today's scrutiny of the Executive's "Evaluation ...
The Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (Lewis Macdonald): Lab
I am grateful for the opportunity to talk to the committee about the report and our response to it. For a major new policy such as free personal care, evalua...
The Deputy Convener: Lab
As we have stated, the committee welcomes the fact that the report accepts that free personal care has been a successful policy and that the majority of peop...
Lewis Macdonald: Lab
The statutory position is clear. There is a requirement or an obligation on local authorities to perform such assessments and we expect them to do it. As wit...
Paul Gray (Scottish Executive Health Department):
One way in which we propose to take up the report's recommendation on assessments is through our work with local authorities and other partners on developing...
Lewis Macdonald: Lab
The committee may see from our responses that we want whatever requirements we put on councils, whatever requirements they make of themselves and whatever th...
The Deputy Convener: Lab
Free personal care is a national policy, so is it not reasonable to give councils national guidelines on such assessments?
Lewis Macdonald: Lab
Yes. How assessments are performed and services are delivered is already the subject of guidance from the Executive. That is as it should be. However, that f...
Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): Lab
The committee has expressed concern about food preparation and medicines; that is confirmed by chapter 7 of the report, which is entitled "Potential Barriers...