8^th June, 2014

Time for a public debate on our NHS

“Without change now, we’re putting at risk the sustainability of our National Health Service”.

These are not the words of a politician, but those issued last week by a leading medical professional Theresa Fyffe, Director of the Royal College of Nursing Scotland.

We are all committed to an NHS that is free at the point of need. However, every day we are witnessing the huge strain it is under as demand grows and funding struggles to keep up.

Indeed, we only have to look at Inverclyde Royal Hospital to see this. During the winter period for example, there were times when a number of the wards were operating at 100% capacity, well above the level deemed to be safe by experts.

Furthermore, my recent freedom of information request revealed that between Jan 2014 and March 2015 over 1,000 patients were moved wards to relieve pressure on the hospital.

Theresa Fyffe also said last week, “tinkering around the edges and simply putting more and more money into the current system is not the answer”.

It’s clear a fundamental rethink is required about what our priorities are for our NHS and the way in which we deliver health services.

And while it’s important that the medical professionals and politicians debate these issues, it’s even more important that the public who rely on the NHS everyday have their say too.

Yesterday I tabled a motion in Parliament (copied in below) noting the calls made by the Royal College of Nursing and also the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland, for a public debate. The motion has now received cross-party support.

Motion Title: NHS Scotland: Time for a Public Debate

That the Parliament notes the joint call by the Royal College of Nursing and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland for a public debate on what are considered to be the difficult decisions that need to be made about future investment in Scotland’s NHS; believes this to be a measured and considered approach that could kick start changes to the way the NHS provides services; considers that, while the NHS budget is protected and, in recent years, the number of staff employed by the NHS has increased, demand for care from Scotland’s growing and older population has increased in places such as Greenock and Inverclyde, and notes the joint call for a mature debate involving the public, health and care professionals and MSPs from all political parties so that there is a consensual approach to future changes to Scotland’s beloved NHS to ensure that it does not only survive but evolves to meet the future needs of the people of Scotland.

Supported by: Stuart McMillan*, Dennis Robertson*, Jim Hume*, Tavish Scott*, Lewis Macdonald*, Elaine Smith*, Graeme Pearson*, Elaine Murray*, Jackson Carlaw*, Jackie Baillie*, Richard Simpson*, Johann Lamont*, Jayne Baxter*, Cara Hilton*, Neil Findlay*, John Pentland*, Margaret McDougall*, Malcolm Chisholm*, Hanzala Malik*, Patricia Ferguson*, David Stewart*, Hugh Henry*, Michael McMahon*

1^st June, 2015

Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill

Last week, a majority of members of the Scottish Parliament voted against the Bill to legalise assisted suicide.

As an MSP for over fifteen years, there are very few issues that I can think of that have evoked such strength of feeling.

The huge number of emails that have flooded into my inbox over the last few months regarding the subject will testify to this.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contacted me with their personal and heartfelt accounts of caring for a seriously ill loved one.

Prior to the debate last week, the health committee which I convene examined the Bill in great detail and reached the conclusion that it contained some significant flaws.

While we acknowledged that a desire to be compassionate towards those suffering is a key factor that motivates the Bill there were a number of areas that gave cause for concern.

My colleague Bob Doris who spoke on behalf of the committee during the debate noted the concerns from witnesses about the potential for coercion of vulnerable people.

The committee also acknowledged concerns about the lack of definitions in the Bill. Surprisingly, there was no definition of assisted suicide.

Moreover, the terms “terminal” and “life shortening” appear in the Bill.  As Bob Doris said in his speech, these terms are absolutely central in delineating the range of persons who would receive assistance in ending their lives, yet neither was defined.

It is in part for these reasons that I said no to the Bill. In voting no, I also took on board the views of those who say the answer is not to legalise assisted suicide but to do more to improve end-of-life care which as it stands is wholly inadequate.

Tomorrow the committee will begin its investigation into the quality of palliative and end of life care.

25^th May, 2015

Anomaly in blue badge law

Looking after a friend or member of the family who is disabled can be a challenging experience.

The simple things that we all take for granted like going to the supermarket for our weekly groceries or getting into town for an afternoon can be difficult.

And while there has certainly been real progress over the years in providing greater support and improved facilities for those with disabilities there is still more to be done.

One notable example relates to the Blue Badge Scheme. For those of you unfamiliar with this initiative, it allows people with disabilities to access disabled parking spaces whether it is outside the shops, public facilities or on the street.

I was recently made aware that there is anomaly in the law, which means that many people with Down’s syndrome (DS) under the age of 16, are likely to be denied a blue badge because they can walk and thus do not meet the eligibility criteria.

However, my constituent who alerted me to this, informed me that while his son who has DS can walk, he also has low sensory awareness and is often unaware of the potential danger around him. Without a blue badge to access disabled spaces life is made very difficult for him and his parents.

If my constituent’s son lived in Wales he would automatically qualify for a blue badge due to a recent change in the law.

The Scottish Government consulted last year on extending the law up here in Scotland. There was overwhelming support for doing so but nothing has happened yet.

I have written to the relevant Government Minister asking him to look at where things are regarding a change in the law so that people like my constituent get the improved support they need to go about their daily lives.

18th May, 2015

A&E pressures

When confronted with bad news governments can often be guilty of quickly drawing up a short-term fix to avert any criticism and hope it will all go away.

Over two years ago in response to the growing pressures on A&E departments the Scottish Government hastily announced funding and an action plan that they said would relieve the problem.

However, last week new figures were released which show that things haven’t got any better.

At Inverclyde Royal Hospital the A&E target that 95% of patients are seen within 4 hours was breached on over 5,000 occasions since the government made its announcement.

In one instance an elderly patient had to wait over 17 hours before being treated.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has been surprisingly frank as to the reasons for the huge number of breaches.

They said that our hospitals are busy and getting busier. Doctors are performing more surgical procedures than before. Record numbers of patients are being admitted to hospital as emergency cases.

And at the other end, many patients are waiting too long in hospital beds for an appropriate care setting.

It’s clear in light of these developments that sticking plasters simply won’t do.

We need a whole system approach that not only addresses the pressures on our hospitals but also ensures there are more places in the community so that people can be cared for in or close to their own homes.

We can’t simply announce funding for our hospitals and leave out the social care sector.

As the Royal College of Emergency Nursing recently said we must allow for real planning and not simply the handling of short-term pressures.

It’s through a whole system approach we can prevent people from going into hospital unnecessarily or being there a minute longer than they need be.

27^th April, 2014

Crime at a record low?

In the last year, I have been contacted by a number of constituents who have raised serious concerns about the levels of crime in the area.

One said that in his area violent crime had shot up. Others have pointed to an increase in drunk and disorderly behaviour and the spates of vandalism.

It is accounts such as these that raise doubts in my mind about the continuous claims made by the Scottish Government that crime is at an all-time low.

My concerns have been reinforced by a number of stories in recent times that crime figures have been manipulated, coming from none another than serving police officers.

Just last week, for example, a national newspaper reported that figures were being kept lower by marking crimes as “incidents”. In 2013/14, 273,053, crimes were recorded north of the border, but over two million incidents were logged by the police.

If these stories are true, we would need a thorough investigation to find out the full scale of the problem.

Police Scotland’s role should always be to protect the public, not to act in the interests of a Scottish Government press release.

It is important to remember, that the police and the Scottish Government allocate resources on the basis of crime statistics.

If they are saying that crime is at a 40 year low, and this turns out not to be the case, it means that communities here in Inverclyde, that are experiencing high levels of crime, might not get the support they need.

I would keen to year views on this issue and whether or not you feel crime has gone up or down. So please feel free to contact me at duncan.mcneil.msp@scottish.parliament.uk.

11^th May, 2015

Re-building trust

Last week, the Labour Party was humbled across the country. There’s no getting away from it.

It was a brutal night in which a number of senior Labour figures lost their seats, including my friend Iain McKenzie who was a conscientious, hardworking Member of Parliament who in a short period of time, made a significant impact locally and in Westminster.

And while I’m very sad to see Iain go, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Ronnie Cowan the new MP for Inverclyde. I certainly won’t be extending my congratulations to David Cameron and the dire prospect of another five years of Tory Government.

When I first joined the Labour Party and subsequently stood for the Scottish Parliament, I did so, because of the party’s commitment to social justice, its belief in common endeavour, and its drive to re-distribute the wealth so that all people, whatever their background, had a fair chance.

While last week’s result is very difficult for Labour, I believe that these values are still relevant today.

They have led to the to the creation of so many things which are woven throughout the fabric of our society such as our National Health Service and the Welfare State, and that ultimately established our status as the people’s party.

However, Labour has not always met the high expectations of the communities we serve. We must get back to basics, re-engage and reconnect with the people of Scotland.

We must campaign and act on the issues that matter to them including the huge inequality which exists, whereby your postcode can determine, your life expectancy, prosperity and education.

The party has a big task ahead of it. But I believe that by re-building trust, bit by bit, day by day, month by month and year by year we can become the people’s party again.

4^th May, 2015

Delays

Conventional wisdom dictates that prior to an election governments should focus on the good news and avoid potential bad news like the plague.

The current SNP Government has been particularly adept at this. The failure to release its oil and gas bulletin, which would tell us how much Scotland would expect to receive from North Sea oil revenues in the years ahead, is a case in point.

It’s for this reason that a number of recent developments locally have given me cause for concern.

Just over a month ago, news got out that we will not know the successful bidder for the new CalMac vessel for the Ardrossan to Brodick route until after the election.

The announcement was originally due to be made at the end of March and Ferguson’s Shipyard was one of those bidding strongly. The response I received on Thursday regarding the delay from Transport Minister Derek MacKay, gives no grounds for optimism.

Further to this, it’s been over two months since NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recommended to the Scottish Government that Inverclyde should receive funding to replace Greenock’s crumbling Health Centre, and it has still not confirmed its support.

And finally, three weeks after writing to Health Minister Shona Robson, I have yet to receive a detailed response regarding the delays in building a replacement for the Ravenscraig Hospital.

I sincerely hope all of this is just a mere coincidence and nothing to do with bad news being avoided due to the election being just around the corner.

The people of Inverclyde deserve straight answers and the fair share of funding that would help boost the economy and address some of the huge health challenges we face locally.

Governments need to be judged not on what they promise just before an election but the action they take in between elections.

20^th April, 2015

Future for the IRH?

Inverclyde Royal Hospital is over 35 years old. Therefore, one would expect that the building would be experiencing some wear and tear.

But I’m sure many of you would be surprised to learn that IRH requires a £44 million repair bill to bring it up to an acceptable condition. This would appear to be the highest repair bill of any hospital in the entire country.

Interestingly, the bill has more than doubled in value since the Greenock Telegraphfirst reported on the hospital’s deteriorating condition over three years ago.

The revelation came to light recently when the Scottish Government published an analysis of the performance of the whole NHS estate.

Understandably, the local community will be left wondering why we have got to a stage where the hospital has fallen into such a state of disrepair.

It will also raise questions in peoples’ minds about the long term sustainability of the building and the impact this will have on staff and patients.

The news comes on top of the failing conditions of our local health centres’ and the unacceptable delay in the replacement of Ravenscraig Hospital.

Given the huge health challenges we face locally, including a rising elderly population, the citizens of Inverclyde deserve the best health facilities available and the funding that would make this possible from NHSGreaterGlasgow and Clyde and the Scottish Government.

And while I acknowledge the recent upgrade to IRH’s Accident and Emergency Department, it would seem we have a long way to go tobring the whole building up to scratch.

I will be writing to both the Health Board and the Scottish Government to seek assurances that they are doing all they can to ensure there is a long-term future for the building and to arrange a meeting to discuss their immediate plans to address the backlog.