Monday 9^th March 2015

SCOTTISH TOURISM WEEK 

When we live and work in an area we can sometimes fail to appreciate what might be right on our doorstep.  Last week, I was reminded of this, when I visited Wemyss Bay Holiday Park as part of Scottish Tourism Week.

Despite the bitter cold weather, this was a really enjoyable visit and a reminder of Inverclyde’s beautiful natural resources with stunning views from the park over the River Clyde and the Argyll Hills in the backdrop.

It was great to talk with staff about their work and receive a tour of this modern award winning Caravan Park which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.

It’s in a great location in the heart of a country estate and an ideal base for walking and cycling. It is also conveniently close to ferry routes which will take visitors to Cumbrae and Bute as well as being just a small distance away from Wemyss Bay train station allowing for a short trip into Glasgow.

Although we share this location and environment, it is easy to overlook the positive impact it has on our local economy.

In the peak season the Wemyss Bay Park directly employs up to ninety members of staff making it a key employer in the community. It also provides work for local tradesman some of whom were hard at work preparing the park for the holiday season during my visit.

As well as creating jobs, it also brings money into Inverclyde through the droves of visitors who spend their money at the local shops.

There is no doubt that Wemyss Bay Holiday Park is an asset to Inverclyde helping to boost the economy and underline the beauty of the area.

Monday 2^nd March 2015

 E-CIGARETTES

The use of e-cigarettes is becoming more and more common amongst those looking to quit smoking. Indeed, you can’t walk down the street without seeing a number of people with them in hand.

A recent survey found that in 2014 fifty percent of current smokers had tried e-cigarettes. The proliferation of these devices has generated a debate amongst medical professionals as to their health implications.

In a recent health committee meeting which I convened on the issue one witness said: “there is huge use of e-cigarettes, yet we do not have good evidence as to their safety.”

Scotland’s health boards have also taken this line with all but NHS Lothian, announcing last week that they will impose a ban on their usage outside hospital grounds.

On the other side of the debate, there are those who believe that while the full implications of e-cigarettes are still to be established, they are certainly a lot safer than inhaling tobacco.

Another witness at the recent health committee meeting, Professor John Britton UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, said: “Electronic cigarettes offer a huge potential benefit to public health by helping smokers to shift to an alternative source of nicotine. If all smokers in Britain were to do that, we would be talking about avoiding hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of premature deaths.”

Similarly Ash Scotland – the anti-smoking charity – raised concerns that health boards’ ban on e-cigarette use could discourage smokers from trying an alternative that might help them to move away from tobacco.

With arguments such as those produced by Professor Britton and Ash Scotland, I believe it is only a matter of time before e-cigarettes are included in Scotland’s smoking cessation strategy and ultimately help to make the country a smoke free place to live.

Monday 23^rd February 2015

IMPROVING PANCREATIC CANCER CARE

It was good to meet old friends from Pancreatic Cancer Scotland (PCS) in Parliament last week.

I was pleased to hear from PCS that the health’s committee’s work last year into improving access to cancer medicines for patients has had a positive impact for individual’s suffering from the disease.

However, the charity were not in Holyrood to simply thank the committee, rather, they were here along with Pancreatic Cancer UK (PCUK) to encourage Members to the Scottish Parliament to support their calls for faster diagnosis of the disease and better care for patients.

When I met with them, I was told that pancreatic cancer is the sixth biggest cause of cancer death. It also has the worst survival outcomes of any of the most common cancers.

Tragically, if there are delays in an individual being diagnosed it can result in the cancer spreading to other parts of the body.

In order to speed up diagnosis and to provide better patient experiences throughout the whole process the charities have called for a number of improvements to be made.

For example, they would like to see greater public awareness raising of the signs and symptoms of the disease and more support for General Practitioners who are the initial point of contact for patients.

They are also asking for monitoring of patient experience so that patient care can be evaluated and for lessons to be learned. To hear more about pancreatic cancer and what PCS and PCUK are calling for you can access the Diagnostic Manifesto via the following link: http://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk

I sincerely hope that as a result of the increased awareness of this issue positive and practical change will come for patients and their families in the very near future.

Monday 16^th February 2015

A&E CRISIS SYMPTOM OF A WIDER PROBLEM

The huge strain being put on Accident and Emergency departments up and down the country has dominated the Scottish headlines in recent weeks. 

Indeed, the most recent statistics show that in December 2014 over 12,000 people had to wait more than four hours before being treated.

In one instance a hospital was forced to use a portakabin to cope with the A&E overspill.

As the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said in a briefing for MSPs last week, overcrowding in emergency departments is happening because there are not enough beds for people who have been seen in A&E and who are ready to be admitted to hospital.

This is creating a blockage in the system as it means that new patients arriving at A&E have to wait longer to be treated.

The shortage of beds is symptomatic of a wider problem which is primarily to do with the fact that there is a lack of appropriate facilities for people to be cared for within the community.

This means that patients, primarily the elderly and infirm, who are ready to leave hospital, are often forced to stay until a space frees up.

Protecting the NHS budget is of course of crucial importance, but we also need to ensure that the social care sector is properly funded to help shift the balance of care into the community and ease the strain on our hospitals.

Ultimately we need a whole system review of health and social care if we are to get our National Health Service back on the road to recovery.

Patients and staff deserve nothing less.

Monday 9th February 2015

MAKE WORK PAY 

Work can have a direct impact on our mental health and well-being, of this there is no doubt. Needless to say, people who are subject to poor working conditions and poor pay are far more likely to suffer from stress, anxiety and indeed, in some cases a sense of helplessness.

So it is with real concern that last week the Citizens Advice Bureau published a report showing that thousands of Scots are facing poor working practices.

They found over 45,000 instances of people working under unacceptable conditions. Non-payment of wages, unfair dismissal, denial of sick pay, zero hour contracts and bullying are just some of the examples highlighted by the organisation.

But if this wasn’t bad enough, I attended a recent debate in Parliament, sponsored by my Labour colleague Neil Findlay highlighting the plight of workers at the mercy of some of the biggest players in the construction industry.

These companies who have been awarded significant public contracts have come up with a new scam which is piling on the misery for workers.

The umbrella companies’ scam, as it has been called, involves passing on the costs of processing wages, employers’ national insurance and holiday pay onto workers. It has also resulted in workers receiving a significant reduction in their wages.

In light of what we have heard this week, it is clearly time that both the UK and Scottish Governments showed the political will and took action through legislation and procurement. Companies that don’t respect workers’ rights and conditions should not benefit from public contracts.

If we are to make Scotland a socially just place to live then we need to make work pay for all workers.

Monday 2nd February 2015

Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill

The Scottish Parliament’s health committee which I convene is currently scrutinising the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill.

As part of our inquiry we have taken evidence about the complex legal and ethical implications surrounding the proposed legislation.

Last Tuesday we held two separate panels. In the first we heard from those involved in palliative and end of life care. And in the second, we listened to the views of those from the various faith groups.

The proposals to legalise assisted suicide have clearly polarised opinion on both sides of the debate.  As head of the health committee and as a constituency MSP who has received numerous emails and letters from constituents on the matter, I fully understand the strength of feeling that the subject generates.

The committee has already received the views of over 800 people and will continue to examine evidence in the coming weeks, provided from those with knowledge, expertise and interest in the Bill and its implications.

MSPs have a duty to scrutinise the detail behind any proposed piece of legislation but given that this particular bill adjudicates on life and death, it is imperative that the committee robustly and transparently examines what is being proposed.

We will report to Parliament in spring 2015. After this time, all MSPs will have an opportunity to debate and exercise a free vote on the issue.

In the meantime if you would like to access all the written and verbal evidence that has been provided to the committee, you can do so by visiting the Scottish Parliament’s website at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/

Monday 26^th January 2015

NEW POWERS TO IMPROVE PEOPLE’S LIVES

Following the Independence Referendum, the Smith Commission which included all the political parties was set up to begin to deliver change for Scotland.

Last week, we moved a step closer to making this change a reality, as the UK government published draft legislation to deliver the findings of the commission.

The announcement generated much activity in and around Parliament as the Prime Minister David Cameron came to Edinburgh to discuss the draft legislation with Nicola Sturgeon.

Under the plans the Scottish Parliament will be given new responsibilities over welfare, borrowing and taxation with more of the money the Scottish Government spends being raised here in Scotland.

With new powers on the way, the work is now shifting as to how we use these powers in order to improve the lives of people here in Inverclyde and around Scotland, whether it’s ending in-work poverty or delivering affordable childcare.

To this end, the Scottish Parliament’s Devolution (further) powers committee, which I have joined as deputy convener, has been engaging with organisations across the country including those from the voluntary sector and the business community.

While there are certainly differences about how the new powers can be used to best affect, there is a consensus that we have the potential to build a stronger economy and a fairer society.

I hope that all the political parties will unite in the coming weeks and months to work together and ensure that change is delivered for the people of Scotland.

Monday 19^th January 2015

PUBLIC SERVICES

“Public services are the bedrock of a fair and prosperous society”.  This was the opening line in the Scottish Government’s motion for the debate in Parliament last week about protecting public services.

There are few politicians who would disagree with this sentiment. Indeed, this winter we witnessed the hugely important role they play, whether it was the nurses and doctors working round the clock treating patients in A&E, the gritters on the roads or the police on the beat keeping our communities safe.

It’s disappointing therefore, that when there is such consensus on this issue, there has been little progress made in protecting our public services.

Over ten years ago Professor David Kerr, well known to us here in Inverclyde, warned that there were serious challenges facing our health services including the rise in our elderly population.

And five years ago this government’s economic advisor Crawford Beveridge told us that we face the worst financial crisis since the war.

If Beveridge provided the economic imperative for politicians in Scotland, Campbell Christie outlined the moral imperative for us to act.

The failure to pay heed to these warnings is there for us all to see here in Inverclyde with NHS buildings in dire need of repair, cuts to college places and a regeneration budget that has been slashed.

Instead of trading insults as politicians did in the debating chamber during last Tuesday’s debate, we should use the massive consensus that exists about the importance of our public services to get things moving.

Let us have a constructive debate and let us use the money that we have wisely to fulfil our commitment to protect our services and ensure they continue to be the bedrock of our society for many years to come.

Monday 12^th January 2015

OIL PRICE FALL MUST NOT COMPROMISE HEALTH AND SAFETY 

For those of you following the news in the last few weeks, I’m sure you would not have failed to notice reports regarding the looming oil crisis.

Independent research from the Scottish Parliament’s research centre and the Oil and Gas sector, suggests that as a result of the drop in oil prices there could be as many as 15,000 job losses here in Scotland.

Indeed, Robin Allan of Premier Oil recently said that the North Sea Oil industry is “close to collapse”.

While there is rightly a focus on trying to prevent job losses, it’s vital that the fall in oil prices, and the reduction in revenue to the sector that will come as a result does not also have a knock on effect on health and safety standards.

The Piper Alpha Disaster that happened over 25 years ago and which tragically claimed the lives of 167 people, five of whom were from Inverclyde, has shown us what can happen when proper health and safety measures are not applied.

And with oil in the marginal fields now more difficult to extract and the rigs themselves beyond their design life the need to maintain health and safety standards is all the more important.

This is why in Parliament last week, I asked the Scottish Government to give a commitment to bring together the contractors, the operators, the unions and the Health and Safety Executive to clearly establish that there will be no compromise in safety.

While I was disappointed that the Minister did not categorically agree to bring these stakeholders together, I did welcome that he at least acknowledged the crucial importance of health and safety and I hope he will do all he can to prevent not only a job crisis but also a health and safety crisis.

Monday 5^th January 2015

HEALTH INEQUALITIES

For my first column of 2015, I would like to start by wishing you all a Happy New Year. I hope you had enough time to recharge your batteries, enjoy the company of family and friends and reflect on your plans for the year ahead.

This week many of you will be returning to work. Well, politicians will be getting back to the day job too. And at the top of the agenda in Parliament will be the publication of the health committee’s report into health inequalities.

Our investigation has found that despite significant investment in tackling health inequalities in Scotland since devolution, the gap between rich and poor remains persistently wide.

Successive Governments have made this a political priority and invested significant amounts of public money in tackling this complex issue. But sadly none have made any significant difference.

The Committee has also concluded that while the NHS has a key role to play in tackling health inequalities, it cannot do so successfully on its own and the efforts to address the issue need to be made on a much wider number of fronts.

Our NHS can offer a sticking plaster, but without a new approach, we will not tackle the root causes of inequality and improve the health outcomes of thousands of people across Scotland.

Low pay, poor housing, a lack of jobs and educational opportunities all contribute to poor health. For real progress to be made significant efforts will be required across these areas and by different agencies collaborating and working more effectively together.

If there is one issue that the Parliament gives focus to in the New Year, then I hope it’s this.