General Practice Care
I begin by paying tribute to Christina McKelvie, who was a respected colleague and a dedicated public servant. My thoughts and those of my party are with her family, friends and colleagues, and I know that her passing this morning, at the age of 57, will be difficult for many who are here today. I note that you, Presiding Officer, have indicated that members will, rightly, have an opportunity to pay full tribute to Christina in due course.
An Audit Scotland report that was published today lays bare serious problems with general practice care in Scotland. The report makes multiple explicit recommendations, including five that should be completed by the Scottish Government within a year. Will the First Minister guarantee that he will deliver the report’s recommendations?
I thank Russell Findlay for his kind remarks about my dear colleague Christina McKelvie. I appreciate his condolences to all on the sad news.
The Government will consider the recommendations that are contained in the Audit Scotland report. We are taking forward a series of investments to strengthen access to healthcare in Scotland. General practice is one of the areas in which access is most critical. The Government’s investment through the primary care improvement fund, for example, and other steps that have been taken to expand the workforce in general practice are among the practical steps that we are taking to address the issues in the Audit Scotland report.
Those commitments should be delivered so that patients can get a face-to-face general practitioner appointment when they need one.
The independent Auditor General’s report states that the Government has not met previous pledges, which should have been delivered by 2021. The report calls for
“a clear delivery plan for general practice by the end of 2025 that includes specific actions, timescales and costs.”
Will the First Minister confirm that he will bring forward that plan by the end of the year, for the benefit of patients across Scotland?
As I set out in my speech on the national health service in late January, the Government will make a number of different interventions to improve access to healthcare services. At the heart of that will be access to GP services, as I said in my first answer. The Government has set out our intention to explain the specific interventions that we will make in that respect. That information will be shared publicly very soon.
We start from a high platform, in the sense that Scotland has the highest number of GPs per head of population in the United Kingdom. We are determined to build on that.
We are also determined to expand the workforce in general practice. For example, we have employed more than 3,500 whole-time-equivalent staff in other primary care teams. That is designed to boost access to healthcare. We have also employed an additional 1,300 whole-time-equivalent staff to support general practice through health boards.
Issues about the manner in which members of the public are able to access general practice—which I accept are important—are being responded to by the investments that the Government is making.
Another publication that was released today, by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, details serious concerns at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde accident and emergency units. Those problems are consistent with what is happening at hospital emergency departments across Scotland. The regulator says that it has become routine for ambulances to queue up outside the Queen Elizabeth university hospital and for patients to be treated in corridors. The HIS report says that patient safety is being “seriously compromised”. Does the First Minister agree that that is unacceptable? Will he explain what steps he will take to put patient safety first?
Patient safety is a fundamental prerequisite of our healthcare system. Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s report was designed to address the legitimate concerns that have been raised by representatives of staff in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde emergency departments. I expect the board to implement and address the findings of the report, and I am confident that it will do so. There has been an entire change of leadership in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, with a new chair, a new chief executive and a new medical director in place. As the chief executive of the health board has made clear publicly, the board is taking forward the necessary reforms at pace and at scale.
On the wider question, I understand the concerns about access to accident and emergency services. I reassure members of the public that, for some weeks, the performance of A and E units against the four-hour standard has been improving as we recover from the significant disruption as a consequence of the flu outbreak that dominated over the Christmas and new year period and well into January. The position in A and E departments is strengthening.
On the substance of Russell Findlay’s question about Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s report, I expect the recommendations to be addressed by the board.
For its report, Healthcare Improvement Scotland surveyed NHS doctors and nurses who were working in three separate hospitals. Shockingly, the majority of those who were surveyed said that patients rarely receive care that is either appropriate or timely. The report makes a number of suggestions for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as well as national recommendations for the Scottish Government. The report advises the Government to define new standards and introduce new guidance to improve the quality and safety of patient care. Those are sensible suggestions that could improve patient experiences and reduce NHS Scotland waiting times. Will John Swinney take the necessary and decisive action to make those changes? If so, by when?
Those are urgent priorities for me, because they go to the heart of what I think is the key issue that is affecting the performance of our healthcare system in a number of respects, which is our ability to manage flow within healthcare settings. For example, if a hospital is at full occupancy and congested, it is difficult for staff in an emergency department to admit individuals into the hospital, and if we do not have enough social care provision in the community, we will have delayed discharges from our hospitals. There is an integrated link between emergency departments, hospital occupancy and delayed discharge. I assure Mr Findlay that all three of those elements relating to flow within the healthcare system are priorities for the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and me as we undertake weekly scrutiny of the health system’s performance and the work to reduce waiting times.
We also want to strengthen access to general practice, which was the point that Mr Findlay made in his first question, so that individuals with healthcare requirements can get appropriate treatment and support at the earliest possible opportunity. Of course, a wide variety of treatments and support are available through pharmacies, general practice and other allied health professionals to whom we wish to improve access.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Healthcare Improvement Scotland Report)
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Christina McKelvie. I know that the pain of her loss will be felt most deeply in the Scottish National Party, but it will also be felt across the Parliament. My thoughts and those of the entire Scottish Labour Party are with Keith Brown, Christina’s wider family, her friends and all her colleagues across the Parliament. She was a dedicated local MSP, and her campaigning on women’s health, particularly as she battled breast cancer herself, brought many of the issues that are too often ignored into the public eye. Although she could be fierce politically, she was also great fun. Across the chamber and, I assure members, across all parties, many have lost a friend. Our deepest condolences go to all her family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.
The chamber will know of my long-standing concerns about the leadership and culture at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Today’s Healthcare Improvement Scotland report into emergency departments across Greater Glasgow and Clyde is devastating. Corridor care was normalised, and repeated concerns from front-line accident and emergency staff were ignored. Worse still, staff were bullied and silenced, and patient care was compromised, often with devastating consequences. Does John Swinney think that that is acceptable?
First, I thank Anas Sarwar for his generous remarks. I appreciate his words about our dear colleague.
In relation to the Healthcare Improvement Scotland report on NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, I do not think that the practice that Mr Sarwar recounts is acceptable. That is why Healthcare Improvement Scotland has responded to the concerns that were expressed by the clinicians.
I acknowledge the sustained questioning that Mr Sarwar has led on the leadership of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. As he will know, new leadership is in place that is committed to addressing all the questions that are raised in the report. Professor Jann Gardner, the new chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, has publicly indicated her commitment to addressing the recommendations “at pace and scale” to ensure that the issues are properly addressed.
I have been raising concerns for years with successive Scottish National Party health secretaries and First Ministers, but here we are again. This is just the latest report, after 29 doctors raised concerns almost two years ago. The report exposes serious issues around the culture of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and follows the same pattern: patient safety is being compromised; staff are being ignored, bullied and silenced; and when staff blow the whistle, management denies their claims, intimidates them and attempts a cover-up. Staff describe the working environment as “brutal” and “inhumane”, and they talk of “moral distress” or of being “haunted” by some patient experiences, leading to harm. They say that
“It’s a constant battle to keep patients and staff safe”
and that
“there is no support from management”.
After years of warnings and hollow claims of lessons learned, why is the SNP Government allowing that rotten—and, at times, fatal—culture to continue?
We do not accept it. We do not see it as acceptable in any way, nor are we resigned to it. That is why Healthcare Improvement Scotland went in and undertook that investigation. It is why the leadership of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said today that those issues will be addressed “at pace” and with urgency.
Let me use this platform to make it abundantly clear to every health board in the country that the culture that is referred to by Healthcare Improvement Scotland is completely and utterly unacceptable. In general, Scotland has a formidable record on improvements to patient safety. Indeed, our patient safety programme is very highly regarded internationally because of the work that it involves. However, the quality and strength of that patient safety programme will be undermined if there is not a culture of accepting the need to tackle the behaviour that the Healthcare Improvement Scotland report highlights. Mr Sarwar has my assurance that, in my communication and that of the health secretary to health boards, we are making it clear that the contents of that report are unacceptable and must be addressed by health boards around the country.
The problem is that patients and staff have heard that before, and the culture continues. The report highlights the “unacceptable normalisation” of corridor care and the patients stuck in ambulances outside accident and emergency departments. Two thirds of staff who were surveyed
“felt patients ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ received appropriate and timely care.”
The Queen Elizabeth hospital has been plagued by issues for years, often with deadly consequences. The most stark is the infection scandal that cost lives. At every turn, patients, parents and staff have fought for answers but have been frustrated by a rotten culture of cover-up. In 2019, the holding of a public inquiry was agreed, but the culture continues. The board was put into special measures, but the culture continues. It was the first NHS board in Scotland to be investigated for corporate homicide, but the culture continues.
As the latest report shows, patients are still being put at risk by a failing health board that has been empowered time and time again by the SNP Government. It appears that the SNP Government is more interested in protecting managers and institutions than in protecting patients and staff. What will it take for that to change?
I do not accept that characterisation of the Government’s approach. If that were the case, there would not be an inquiry into Scottish hospitals’ performance, and there would not have been a Healthcare Improvement Scotland analysis of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Those are two examples of the Government being prepared to honestly confront acute difficulties in our health service. I would expect that to be the case, and I give Mr Sarwar and the Parliament the assurance that that will always be the case under my leadership. We will confront difficulties openly and honestly to improve the experience of patients.
Mr Sarwar said that there has been a normalisation of corridor care. Let me make it clear to the Parliament that I do not accept that—rather, I will not tolerate it. I will not normalise corridor care. I do not think that it is a good idea to have corridor care. As I referred to in my final answer to Russell Findlay, we have to address issues such as improving the flow of patients through hospitals so that we avoid corridor care.
Mr Sarwar also said that patients are routinely denied appropriate and timely care. I accept that there will be failings in the health service, but I do not think that that is a fair characterisation of the NHS. Many people experience formidably high-quality, professional and loving care from the NHS, and I want to make sure that that is everybody’s experience.
Christina McKelvie
This Parliament has lost one of our very best today. I offer my deepest sympathies and those of my party to everyone who knew and loved Christina McKelvie.
Today is a moment of pain and sadness, but Christina’s life and her extraordinary spirit deserve to be celebrated, as well. In her first speech, she said that she
“would rather be a citizen of a nation that looks to persuade and co-operate than bully and cajole”.—[Official Report, 14 June 2007; c 718.]
She might have been talking about Scotland as a nation, but I think that those words also captured the kind of person she was and the kind of politician she was.
Lots of people in politics start out with those kinds of values and ideals. Christina was someone who held fast to them. Compassion and kindness were at her core. As Christina’s partner and our colleague Keith Brown said today, she
“lit up every room she was in”.
That was certainly true of this room—our Parliament. She brightened it in every sense.
The only question that I would like to ask the First Minister today is how he thinks that we can all bring kindness and compassion into our work, as Christina did. [Applause.]
I am very grateful to Patrick Harvie for his kind words and all that he has said about Christina McKelvie, which I entirely endorse.
It is at moments such as this that some of the conflict that goes on in this Parliament, in politics in general and in the wider political debate is put into sharp relief by the points that Patrick Harvie has put to me. I am no shrinking violet when it comes to defending my position and promoting the position of the Government, so I am not going to say that I am perfect and that everybody else is at fault, because that would just not be the way that it is.
However, there are lessons to be learned from the magnificent generosity of spirit of Christina McKelvie, who, despite the fact that she might have defended the Government’s position vigorously here, from the Government benches, or defended my party’s position from the back benches when she was on the back benches, would also wander out of the chamber with warmth and affection. If anyone—anyone—was facing a moment of difficulty, the first person at their side would be Christina McKelvie. Perhaps we could all take this moment to rebalance and recalibrate how we act and react in our politics, reminded by the astonishing example of Christina McKelvie.
Spring Statement
Presiding Officer, I wish to convey my profound sadness at the untimely death of our brave and much-loved colleague Christina McKelvie. I send my heartfelt condolences to Keith and the family. She was truly a force of nature.
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the United Kingdom Government’s spring statement. (S6F-03941)
The Government is concerned by a number of details in the UK Government’s spring statement, not least of which is the assessment, which has emerged from the Department for Work and Pensions, that the measures contained in the spring statement are likely to drive 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty. Those cuts to welfare will have a direct impact on Scotland’s budget. The Fraser of Allander Institute has estimated that it will see a block grant adjustment to our budget that removes £455 million in 2039-40.
Since Labour came to power, we have seen a shameful litany of broken manifesto promises, from rising household energy bills and the denial of justice for the women against state pension inequality to imposing benefit cuts on disabled people and slashing public services. It is hardly surprising that long-standing Labour members have resigned, denouncing Labour’s betrayal of their own voters. Will the First Minister confirm that, although Labour’s Holyrood branch office meekly and embarrassingly chooses a policy of omertà in the face of UK Labour cuts, the Scottish National Party Government will always stand up for the most vulnerable people in our communities?
The Scottish Government has legislated—for example, when we have acquired new powers on social security—to implement a social security system that is based on dignity and respect. That will always be the approach that we take. We legislated for that in order to ensure that such an approach would be taken in the future.
Mr Gibson has my assurance that those values will always be at the heart of the decisions that the Scottish Government takes. I want to ensure that we put our focus into the necessary work to eradicate child poverty. That will become more challenging as a consequence of the spring statement, because, as we found with the previous Conservative Government, we are once again swimming against a tide of rising poverty levels as a consequence of UK Government decision making. Our data, which was released today, demonstrates that we are seeing reducing levels of child poverty in Scotland, but that pattern will be challenged by the prevailing decisions that have been taken in the spring statement.
I add my expression of sympathy and condolence to the family and friends of Christina McKelvie and, in particular, to our colleague Keith Brown.
Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that were released yesterday revealed that, by the end of the decade, tax receipts from North Sea oil and gas will slump from £5.4 billion to just £2.3 billion as a result of declining production. How can that be described as a just transition?
Over many years, I have listened to lots of debate—certainly during the 2014 referendum campaign—that have indicated that oil revenues are not going to be a source of strength for Scotland in the future. Mr Hoy is alighting on the challenges that exist as a consequence of a declining oil basin. We have to adjust to that and put in place measures to tackle those issues, and that is what the Government is doing.
Autism and ADHD Diagnosis (Waiting Times)
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to reduce waiting times for children and adolescents for the diagnosis of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. (S6F-03944)
Long waits for support are unacceptable, which is why we are working closely with health boards and local authorities to ensure that they are tackled. As part of that work, we have allocated £123 million to health boards this year to support improvements across a range of mental health services, including neurodevelopmental services.
As I am sure the First Minister will be aware, last week NHS Tayside announced that it would no longer accept referrals for diagnosis of autism and ADHD in children or adolescents unless they have other mental health conditions—a decision that the National Autistic Society has described as “beyond comprehension”. Elsewhere in Scotland, we see similar issues with long waiting times of five years or more arising from a severe shortage of qualified professionals and, therefore, an inability for health services to meet the rising level of demand. What action is the Scottish Government taking to address the concern of many young people and their parents that they will not now be able to access the help that they desperately need?
I have considerable sympathy with the points that Mr Fraser has made. I am very concerned by the manner in which the proposals that have been set out by NHS Tayside have been communicated, because they are likely to have caused alarm. Indeed, as the member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire North, I have seen evidence of that in my inbox. I accept that the proposals have not been well communicated.
What NHS Tayside is trying to do is recognise that early intervention support can be available in the community to assist young people who present with mental wellbeing challenges. If we provide such early intervention, that will eventually reduce pressure on child and adolescent mental health services, so that they can focus support on those children who have a more acute clinical requirement for such support. That is what is proposed, but I do not think that that has been particularly well communicated to members of the public.
I give Mr Fraser an assurance that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care is working very closely with NHS Tayside and other boards to ensure that the model that I have just explained to Parliament is the one that people feel and experience, because that model has the potential to better meet the needs of young people in Scotland.
By way of reassurance, I say to Mr Fraser and to Parliament that, for the first time ever, national performance has met the 18-week CAMHS standard, with 90.6 per cent of children and young people starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral. That progress has been made because, in the past decade, we have increased CAMHS staffing levels by 63 per cent.
However, if we are truly to meet the challenges with mental wellbeing that young people are experiencing today, which I think have been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic and other factors in our society, we must put in place the early intervention services that were somewhat missing from the NHS Tayside announcement.
This is a difficult day for us all, and I send my heartfelt condolences to our dear friend and colleague Keith Brown MSP and to Christina’s family.
I have a constituent whose daughter is awaiting an ADHD assessment. She sees a counsellor once a week in school while she awaits an appointment with a neurodevelopmental service. The service has said that it wants to wait until she is in primary 7 before seeing her, but, even then, there is still a 26-month waiting list. That is unacceptable. What support can be given to the health services in my Greenock and Inverclyde constituency to help to reduce those waiting times?
I will not repeat all the details that I gave in my earlier answer to Mr Fraser, but I acknowledge the seriousness of the point that Mr McMillan has put to me on behalf of his constituent.
The Government’s budget includes substantial new investment in health boards. In my earlier answer, I indicated that we are making progress on the achievement of the CAMHS performance standard. The combination of early intervention and enabling the service to focus on those children with the most acute needs will help us to address the substance of the point that Mr McMillan has put to me. I would be happy for the health secretary to address the specific points that he has raised on behalf of his constituent.
I add my condolences to the family and friends of our colleague Christina McKelvie. She was a kind person and a cheerful and helpful minister who often went out of her way to assist colleagues in resolving many issues that they were dealing with in their constituencies.
Earlier this week, families and patients who attend the Notre Dame children’s centre in Glasgow were shocked by the announced closure of the centre, which provides invaluable treatment for children who have experienced trauma through abuse, neglect or bereavement. The centre’s closure is unacceptable, and it is linked directly to the proposal by the integration joint board in Glasgow to cut psychological trauma services by 22 per cent. Will the First Minister please give families and patients who are affected the reassurance that the Government will intervene in that case and will not allow such a devastating cut to mental health services to take place?
I am grateful to Mr Sweeney for his kind remarks about Christina McKelvie. He is absolutely right to say that she went out of her way to help members on all questions.
I am concerned to hear the news about the Notre Dame Centre. I have asked Government officials to liaise with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow City Council, which are the partners in the IJB, to address the concerns and to provide the reassurance that we all need to hear, that the demand on the services that would have been provided by Notre Dame is able to be met in the future, because it is vital that individuals who require those services are able to access them.
Water Scarcity
I, too, offer my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Christina McKelvie at this tragic time.
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to prevent instances of water scarcity in 2025. (S6F-03968)
Climate change is driving more extreme weather conditions in Scotland. This month, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency reported that Scotland has had a drier than average winter. Scotland’s national water scarcity plan sets out how water resources will be managed during periods of prolonged dry weather. As part of that plan, the Scottish Government, SEPA and Scottish Water have established rigorous processes to monitor the situation and to support those affected.
Summer is usually a crucial time of the year for water demand and, potentially, for water shortages. It is important that water users and abstractors are aware of the risk of water scarcity, so that we can all help to reduce the pressure on the water environment. From May, SEPA will provide weekly water scarcity reports to update key sectors and stakeholders on the position.
I thank Mercedes Villalba for her kind remarks about Christina McKelvie.
I thank the First Minister for that response. Any commitment from the Scottish Government to improve the resilience of our water system is welcome.
Upgrading our water infrastructure will be crucial to preventing water scarcity, flash flooding and wildfires. However, according to the outgoing chief executive of Scottish Water, the company is investing only 40 per cent of what is required to upgrade our water infrastructure, while, at the same time, we are seeing it becoming increasingly reliant on outsourcing services, maintenance and upgrades to private interests.
Does the First Minister agree that the people of Scotland deserve public services that reinvest profits in-house, rather than outsourcing and privatising public goods by the back door? Does he support that principle?
I very much support the principle of water being owned in the public sector and managed in the interests of the public sector. That is exactly what Scottish Water does, and that is certainly different from water management systems in England, which are privatised and are of poorer quality, less resilient and more expensive and do not operate as firmly in the public interest as Scottish Water does. The model that Mercedes Villalba talks about is the model that I believe is in place in Scotland.
Obviously, Scottish Water will procure external construction support to enhance water infrastructure, and I think that we would all accept that that is necessary to ensure value for money for the public purse. Scottish Water invested more than £1 billion in 2023-24 and plans to invest a total of £6 billion across the current regulatory period of 2021 to 2027.
I cannot overstate the importance of that, given the fact that we are experiencing—as was made clear by a question last week—wildfires in Scotland in March. I leave that sentence for Parliament to think about. We are having wildfires in Scotland in March when the weather should be significantly wetter, so we now have to cope with such circumstances. That is an illustration of the challenges that we are facing, and I very much endorse the approach that Mercedes Villalba set out.
Community Safety (Edinburgh Eastern)
I extend the deep condolences of all in the Alba Party to the friends and family of Christina McKelvie at this very sad time.
To ask the First Minister, in light of reports of an escalation in gang-related violence in Edinburgh, with recent shootings in Niddrie and West Pilton, what immediate action can be taken to support the emergency services in ensuring the safety and reassurance of communities in the Edinburgh Eastern constituency. (S6F-03970)
I am grateful to Ash Regan for her comments on my dear colleague.
I am deeply concerned by recent incidents in Edinburgh and am fully supportive of Police Scotland’s efforts to apprehend those responsible. Although it would be inappropriate to comment on the investigation itself, I reassure members that significant resource is being put into the scrutiny of closed-circuit television footage and that door-to-door inquiries and increased patrols are being deployed in the area.
I encourage anyone who has information to report it directly to Police Scotland. There are, of course, a range of other measures that are being taken in relation to the work of the serious organised crime task force and its key partners to disrupt, deter and detect serious organised crime. That remains an absolute priority for all partners.
The very serious concerns that were raised at the Scottish Police Federation conference over issues such as officer burnout and underresourcing leading to reactive policing must be urgently addressed to support our police, who, in turn, support our communities’ safety. Edinburgh residents have the right to reassurance from visible, proactive policing and the right to not be left at the risk of being caught up in gang warfare. Will the First Minister commit today to reviewing the allocation formula for police funding for Edinburgh and consider targeted support for policing in areas of rising gang activity?
Those issues and judgments are a matter for the chief constable in the exercise of her operational responsibility for control of policing. It would be inappropriate for me to specify where police officers should be located, other than to reassure communities that, where the intelligence that is actively scrutinised by Police Scotland identifies the potential for violence to emerge in our society, that will be responded to by Police Scotland and resources will be allocated accordingly.
In the budget, the Government has allocated £1.62 billion to support police capacity and capability, which represents an increase of £57 million in resource funding to enable our police to undertake the roles that we expect them to undertake. There is now capital funding in place that is assisting with the renewal of the estate, technology and fleet activities, and investment in body-worn video camera equipment has been rolled out for the first area of the country in the past few days.
These events should concentrate the minds of the Scottish Government regarding the on-going underresourcing of policing in the capital. Three years ago, Edinburgh had 120 fewer officers than its population needed, and by March last year there were 22 fewer than in the year before. I press the First Minister on the matter. Will the Scottish Government commit to resourcing Edinburgh’s police force in a manner that reflects the growing population, the additional complexities and what is needed to police a capital city?
I give the reassurance that the chief constable will address these issues. The chief constable is responsible for the operational deployment of police officers around the country. I believe that the financial settlement that we have put in place for policing is adequate for the challenges that we face in our country, given that we know that recorded crime is down by 40 per cent since 2006-07 and that there has been a 54 per cent fall in the rates of attempted murder and serious assault.
We have, comparatively speaking, lower levels of crime in our society, but we continue to invest in policing. I know that the chief constable will be very attentive to the need for effective deployment of resources around the country to meet the needs of communities that are facing challenges.
We move to constituency and general supplementaries.
Notre Dame Centre
I, too, offer my heartfelt condolences to Keith, Jack and Lewis on the sad and untimely passing of our friend and colleague Christina McKelvie.
The First Minister mentioned earlier the Notre Dame Centre in my constituency. It has supported young people and families with complex trauma right across Glasgow since 1931, but it now faces imminent closure following NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and partners pulling funding, despite the centre having an outstanding record and meeting all required outcomes and no concerns having been raised. This appalling decision has created great anxiety and uncertainty for the 100 children and their families who are currently being supported and those who are on waiting lists. This is no strategic redesign of services, which would surely have involved working with the Notre Dame Centre and not blindsiding it.
The decision must be reversed. Will the First Minister urgently meet me and the Notre Dame Centre to hear our deep concerns? Will the Scottish Government, as I have done, raise its concerns directly with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and partners?
Those concerns have been raised with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow City Council, but I would be happy to meet Mr Doris to discuss those questions. I understand his long-standing connection with the Notre Dame Centre and his appreciation of its work, and I would be happy to meet him and the centre to hear the concerns that he has raised in Parliament today.
St Joseph’s Primary School
I have been appalled by an unprecedented series of sectarian attacks targeting St Joseph’s primary school in Busby, which is in my Eastwood constituency, in the past few weeks. The buildings were sprayed with offensive and sectarian discriminatory graffiti and the outdoor play area was set on fire. This past weekend, there was a further arson attack on a children’s area. The school community has been left stupefied and, naturally, distressed, but I pay tribute to Police Scotland and East Renfrewshire Council for the decisive way in which they have intervened to seek to make the community feel safe.
Earlier this month, St Joseph’s received a glowing report from Education Scotland for the exemplary standard of education that the school is providing. Today, of all days, when all of us here are reminded that we live, learn, work and play together, will the First Minister join me in offering a show of solidarity with the St Joseph’s community and make clear that, here in Scotland, faith will not be used as a force for division but that, together, all faiths and those of none must work and come together in order to create the community in which we all want Scotland to live? [Applause.]
Not for the first time in my life, I find myself in huge agreement with Mr Carlaw’s comments. I appreciate the way in which he has expressed that point. The contrast of the material that Mr Carlaw has put on the record could not make his point more strongly. The education provision by the school has been acknowledged by Education Scotland and His Majesty’s chief inspector of education to be outstanding, and the outside of the school has been targeted by utterly unacceptable behaviour, which never had any place in Scottish society and certainly does not have any place in Scottish society in 2025.
I endorse entirely Mr Carlaw’s comments. Perhaps the best way through this is if Mr Carlaw and I visit St Joseph’s school. We could have a question-and-answer session to see how we both get on at the school in front of the pupils. The visit would be an indication of my warm appreciation of the strength of the school and what it does for the children of that community. [Applause.]
Supported Living Service (Glasgow)
I start by thanking Christina McKelvie for the warmth and kindness that she showed me as a newbie in my early days in the Parliament. I will be forever grateful for her kindness and warmth. I, too, offer my condolences to Keith Brown and to all those who loved Christina.
Glasgow’s integration joint board is planning to axe its supported living service as part of efforts to plug its £42.5 million funding gap. The service is used by nearly 40 people across the city, including people living with dementia. The decision will reportedly save £2.8 million, but staff have warned that mainstream provision will simply not meet the complex needs of those affected. One woman said that she will no longer be able to live the life that she has now if the support is taken away. Will the First Minister step in and help to protect that vital service, to ensure that those who rely on it are not abandoned?
In the recent budget that Parliament passed, the Government did two things that potentially help to address the issues that Pam Duncan-Glancy puts to me. First, we increased the health and social care budget to more than £21 billion to ensure that there was an uplift that would enable investment in local services. We also delivered a real-terms increase in local authority funding for core services to enable local authorities, which are the other contributors to integration joint boards.
Clearly, I have had questions from Mr Doris and Mr Sweeney on the Notre Dame Centre, and a question from Pam Duncan-Glancy on the care-at-home service, all of which relate to the integration joint board in Glasgow. There will need to be a wider conversation between the Government and the integration joint board to address the concerns that have been properly put to me by members today.
Community Policing
I associate myself with all the tributes to Christina McKelvie. I know how deeply she will be missed, and my thoughts and prayers are with Keith Brown and her whole family.
Yesterday, community councils across my constituency received a notification from Police Scotland that officers will no longer attend their meetings, given the rising and competing demands and challenges on policing. That move will negatively impact local democracy and, worryingly, the decision has been taken without any community consultation. It follows a similar move when local event organisers were told that long-standing police involvement in community events was no longer guaranteed, due to pressure on police resources.
Does the First Minister share my concern that vital links between the police and the communities that they serve are being eroded under the Police Scotland model? Does he recognise that the imposition of a Police Scotland central-belt policing culture is increasingly damaging public confidence and the good work of dedicated local police officers?
I stress the importance of there being effective dialogue between Police Scotland and local communities. That dialogue is one channel through which we will establish an understanding and awareness of some of the challenges that exist in local areas. I hope that Mr Mundell and I can agree that such understanding and awareness does not necessarily always have to be through attendance at community council meetings, because there are a lot of community councils across Scotland.
However, there has to be good, engaged local dialogue, which I know will take place with the local authority in Dumfries and Galloway. Such dialogue must be satisfactory in ensuring that Police Scotland is aware of the issues in and aspirations of local areas. I will seek the view of the chief constable on that point and will write to Mr Mundell with further details.
That concludes First Minister’s question time. There will be a short suspension to allow those who are leaving the chamber and the gallery to do so.
12:46 Meeting suspended.Air ais
Christina McKelvieAir adhart
Black Watch (300th Anniversary)