To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with cardiology patients, clinicians and other relevant stakeholders as part of the development of the recently published long-term conditions framework consultation. (S6O-04716)

The Scottish Government carried out engagement and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders during the development of the long-term conditions framework consultation.

That included a heart disease lived experience focus group, a third sector event—attended by heart disease organisations—and a meeting with the heart disease clinical leads. There have also been ministerial meetings with British Heart Foundation Scotland and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.

The consultation is now live, and I encourage clinicians, health professionals, those in the third sector and people with lived experience to respond.

Last week, British Heart Foundation Scotland published figures that showed that Scotland has seen the first sustained rise in heart disease deaths in a generation. We must halt that trend. Collaboration between everyone who is involved in tackling heart disease is crucial. The long-term conditions framework could result in a deprioritisation of conditions such as heart disease. Will the minister guarantee that collaboration will take place between those stakeholders and the Scottish Government to ensure that the 730,000 people in Scotland living with heart disease are not forgotten about?

I agree that it is important that third sector clinicians and people living with heart conditions are properly consulted. The long-term conditions framework will focus on ensuring equitable and sustainable access to the services that all people with long-term conditions need, while still allowing for targeted action on condition-specific care and support where necessary. That is exactly the message that I passed on to British Heart Foundation Scotland and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.

I agree that we need to continue our approach, and that is exactly the way that I will continue working as we gather information from the consultation.

A number of members want to ask supplementary questions. I will try to get everyone in, but they will need to be brief.

Figures that were published last week by British Heart Foundation Scotland showed that incidents of cardiovascular disease in working-age adults aged 20 to 64 in Scotland have risen by 14 per cent. The impact of heart disease on people early in life is increasing, particularly in our most deprived areas, where premature deaths are five times higher than in our least deprived areas. Will the minister commit to addressing that through the creation of a fully resourced plan that is co-produced with clinicians and the third sector?

We are awaiting the results of the long-term conditions framework consultation, but we must also recognise that we need to go further on the preventative side. That is exactly where the Scottish Government has been increasing its investment in health.

I absolutely recognise the points that Carol Mochan made about inequalities and ensuring that people from all areas of Scotland get the right support. That is why we are increasing the number of general practitioner appointments that are available. We have also been working closely with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on a population health framework that is absolutely focused on prevention.

The latest figures, which were published yesterday, show that a record 149 people in my health board area of NHS Ayrshire and Arran have been waiting more than a year to see a cardiologist. Will the minister reassure me and the around 13,000 people who are living with cardiovascular disease in my constituency that CVD will remain a priority for the Scottish Government, with a dedicated resource to support the improvement of cardiology services?

I agree that we must focus on the prevention of cardiovascular disease. That remains a priority for the Scottish Government, which is why we have designed a service that focuses on proactive case finding of cardiovascular disease issues. Through our £10 million investment in the new CVD enhanced service agreement, we are encouraging innovative ways through which general practices can engage with individuals who might be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Some 38 per cent of Scotland’s population have a long-term health condition. How is the Scottish Government working to ensure that the outcomes of the long-term conditions framework consultation will build a framework that cuts across all conditions but recognises when it is important to be more condition specific?

As I said earlier, the new long-term conditions framework will focus on ensuring equitable and sustainable access to the services that all people with long-term conditions need, while still allowing for targeted action on condition-specific care and support where appropriate.

Responses to the current framework consultation will be carefully analysed, alongside other available evidence, to establish opportunities for actions that benefit all people with long-term conditions. Where condition-specific work is appropriate, that, too, will be informed by evidence, including that from the consultation, which is currently live.

People living with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions make up a large number of people who have long-term conditions. In Glasgow, some of them have been waiting for trauma and orthopaedic support for more than 52 weeks. What measurable difference will the long-term conditions framework make for people living with arthritis and MSK conditions?

I have set out the long-term conditions framework in a way that recognises that every condition can benefit from learning from others and that there will be certain golden threads that run through all conditions.

As I said in two previous responses, if there are certain areas of the strategy that require specific strategies—similar to our 10-year cancer strategy, which focuses on certain cancers—that will certainly be considered.