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 1019 contributions
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
I read through the submissions and I was particularly interested in Laura Skaife-Knight’s, which says:
“NHS Orkney remains at 0.8% from NRAC parity”.
Why?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
I turn to Gordon Jamieson. In your submission, you say that innovation in medicine is a challenge facing your health boards. Will you expand on that a little bit, please? Are clinical trials not also part of where you need to be?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
I turn to Gordon Jamieson. I was on Uist and talked to someone who told me that there are around 1,200 people on his island and that he knows them all. In that type of small community—its size is probably one of the reasons a lot of people move out—do you think that the stigma of mental health might be a hindrance to people seeking help?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
My final question is about participation in sport for everyone, whatever level they play at. If I want to play squash, I want to play against somebody who is at my level, and I want the playing field to be level in everything that we do, because sport is inherently not fair. There are categories in everything. Do you feel—I suppose that you could give your personal opinion or LEAP Sports Scotland’s opinion—that trans athletes have an unfair advantage in participating in competition compared with biological women?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
Thank you.
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
I have asked many different people—from elite sport through to other areas—that same question and, invariably, the answer is that they do not hold records. Your group is exceptional, Lynne. If we do not know the ethnicity of the women who are participating in sport, how can we know how to do better?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
Thank you. I will stay with you, Gordon, for my final question.
Population decline is a serious issue, as is housing. If you are earning £100,000-plus, you will probably be able to find accommodation, but not everyone is fortunate enough to be earning that type of money and many of the jobs that are you are looking to recruit for are not in that bracket. One of the jobs that I saw advertised was a consultant post—which is, admittedly, a very well-paid job—and there was an annual £1,279 “distant islands allowance”. That does not seem to be a huge amount to attract people to the Western Isles. What measures need to be taken to make it more attractive for people to come to work where you are?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
I agree with everything that Lynne Glen said about ensuring that we try to get everyone involved in sport, because we know that it helps with mental health and so many other things. Stigma can put a barrier in the way of people from the LGBTQ+ community wanting to participate in sport.
I turn to Heidi Vistisen. Heidi, I have some direct questions in response to your answers to Tess White. In one of those responses, you used the phrase “when necessary”. When is it necessary?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
Okay. Let us look at someone who wants to train to be a runner or an athlete, for example. There should be no barriers to training, but when it comes to the competing side, World Athletics has said that trans people cannot compete in women’s categories. Is that an example of where the governing body has said something that needs to be put into place at the more junior levels?
Health, Social Care and Sport Committee
Meeting date: 23 May 2023
Dr. Sandesh Gulhane
Perhaps you could write to us with that.