Clare Haughey: I am pleased to close for the Government this evening. I commend Kenneth Gibson for lodging the motion and highlighting the importance of protecting our young people from alcohol advertising. I also add my thanks to the cross-party group for its important work. I will set out the distinct challenges that we face in Scotland. Since the 1980s, we have seen substantially increased alcohol...
Clare Haughey: I am not clear on whether we are able to do that. Having heard the chief medical officer talk about the issue this morning, I understand that the report includes the very first figures on minimum unit pricing, and we will certainly have to compare data year on year. I am pretty sure that more figures are coming out in September. If that is incorrect—the member will be aware that I am...
Clare Haughey: For clarification, I point out that, obviously, the NHS has a duty of care to its staff and it has in-house counselling services that staff can access, on a confidential basis, through the occupational health service.
Clare Haughey: I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Government. I thank Alex Cole-Hamilton for securing this important debate, and I thank Janice Malone for bravely sharing her story. Janice is one of my constituents, and I had the pleasure of meeting her last week. The world in which we live is unpredictable. In the past week, a tourist boat capsized on the River Danube, and searches continue for...
Clare Haughey: I expect all integration authorities to take every measure possible to ensure that safe and sustainable out-of-hours services are provided. However, arrangements are in place for Sir Lewis Ritchie and senior Scottish Government officials to meet the management team in Glasgow regarding their review of out-of-hours care and the difficulties that are being experienced by the service. Since...
Clare Haughey: My understanding is that arrangements were put in place between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS 24 over the weekend to deal with the closures. Home visits by GPs were available to people who had clinical need for that. I am not happy with the level of service, and I expect NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the health and social care partnerships to take every possible step to stop that...
Clare Haughey: I assure Jamie Greene that I share his concerns. I want to ensure that the people of Glasgow—and, indeed, the people of Scotland—get the NHS that they need. Jamie Greene will be aware that we have recently rolled out the new GP contract, which helps to reduce GPs’ workloads so that they can spend more time dealing with the more complex cases and patients in their case load. We are...
Clare Haughey: I expect that that will be discussed in Lewis Ritchie’s review, in looking at what NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is doing to ensure that it has GPs to cover out-of-hours services. My understanding is that there are some salaried GPs in the out-of-hours GP service as a whole, but most of the GPs who work in the service are not salaried.
Clare Haughey: I do not have that information to hand for Stuart McMillan, but I make a commitment to request that he gets it as soon as I have it.
Clare Haughey: As I said in answer to Jamie Greene, I am not happy with the level of out-of-hours service that was provided at the weekend. We expect NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the health and social care partnership to look at the service to ensure that we do not end up in the same situation again. Mr Sarwar has raised valid points. I again pay tribute to the staff who were on duty on Saturday night...
Clare Haughey: I add my thanks to Richard Lyle for lodging the motion for debate, and I thank all the members who have made valuable contributions. I welcome Alzheimer Scotland’s “Delivering Fair Dementia Care For People With Advanced Dementia” report, and I agree with the motion that the report is “an important contribution” to the public debate on how we improve dementia care and services and in...
Clare Haughey: Liam McArthur is absolutely right—the report highlights that point and he also highlighted it in his speech. The adult social care reform programme is looking at a range of areas to promote greater consistency and clarity, to ensure that those who need the care and support understand what the system can provide and the costs that that may entail. I was pleased to confirm yesterday that the...
Clare Haughey: Art therapists are a small professional group, but they have a huge contribution to make in helping people of all ages to improve their general development and social interaction and communication skills and in supporting mental and physical rehabilitation. As is the case with other allied health professions, access to art therapy is based on clinical need.
Clare Haughey: I am aware of the work that the Teapot Trust does and I congratulate Laura Young on the work that she has done. From my clinical practice, I am well aware of the value that art therapists bring to both children and young people’s services and adult services. If Mr Gray writes to me again, I will certainly reconsider his request. He has been a minister, so he will be aware that sometimes...
Clare Haughey: As I said in my previous answer, it is up to NHS boards to determine the staffing that is required in their areas, based on local need, but I recognise that art therapists are a valuable addition. I do not have the numbers that Mr Briggs has asked for, but I will write to him with the figures.
Clare Haughey: The independent inquiry into mental health services in Tayside, which was commissioned by NHS Tayside, was announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport in June 2018, following a debate in the Scottish Parliament. The inquiry’s interim report, which was released this morning, sets out what David Strang, the independent chair of the inquiry, has heard so far from a range of...
Clare Haughey: I will take Annie Wells’s questions in order. I apologise if I miss anything; there were a lot of questions. Long waits for support and treatment are unacceptable. This Government is investing £54 million to help boards improve their performance against waiting times. The Government expects those who need help to get help at the time that they need it. NHS Tayside has stated that its...
Clare Haughey: The safety of those who use and deliver our mental health services is paramount. NHS Tayside has outlined to me the work that it is undertaking within its quality improvement programme on a range of activities that are aimed at improving the care and safety of patients. I agree that that is extremely important. Central to that is the on-going feedback from staff, patients and carers. Current...
Clare Haughey: There is a need for transformation to a whole-system approach to mental health by all public services including GPs and other primary care workers. That needs to be done in partnership with people who use the services and their families, the mental health workforce, and delivery partners across the public and third sectors. Multidisciplinary and multi-agency working is key to that...
Clare Haughey: I am disturbed by Mr Briggs’s assertion at the start of his question about patients reporting that they feel suicidal that he thinks that it is widespread that mental health and healthcare professionals ignore people when they are in distress. That is certainly not my experience from working in the NHS for many years. Every interaction that mental health professionals, GPs and other...