The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 2045 contributions
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 17 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
Mr Swinney, Alex Rowley asked whether testing will continue to be free for people, and you said yes. However, John Mason then asked whether people will have to pay for it after April. I am confused by your answers. Have I picked them up wrongly?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 17 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
In April?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 10 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
Having listened to all the evidence, can I conclude, then, that we clearly still have a major problem with the disparity between richer and poorer areas, because the health inequalities are still there; that the service, once a person got into it, was actually as good as it was prior to the pandemic; that we might have to change the way in which primary care is delivered; and that our screening levels have to get back up at least to where they were before—if not to a better level—to allow us to get out of the current situation? Is that a fair assessment of what you have told us today?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 10 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
I want to go back briefly to Murdo Fraser’s question to Dr Perez-Reche about patients either being unable to access a doctor or choosing not to go to a doctor, because of a belief that the NHS could not allow it. What is your understanding of that? You seem to be saying that although the data is not definitive, it supports the view that the period from diagnosis to death is shorter as a result of people not seeing their doctor. I hate to be so blunt, but, unfortunately, that is what I am asking about. Is there no way of telling from your data whether death could have been avoidable had the period between diagnosis and treatment been shorter? Is that correct?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 10 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
My apologies.
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 10 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
Excellent. That is of great importance. Thank you very much.
A person is entitled to change a named person at any given time, but, if they are having an episode in hospital for instance, the named person would stay until the episode has passed. Is that correct? I think that you have just answered that.
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 10 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
So there was no delay in people getting treatment after a diagnosis had been established.
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 10 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
Dr Chopra, you may just have answered my question. Can you define who would require a named person?
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 10 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
I want you to clarify something. That is not the same as somebody being given power of attorney.
COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Meeting date: 10 March 2022
Jim Fairlie
It is a separate thing.