Seòmar agus comataidhean

I ask the members sitting opposite me to consider the fact that it is our responsibility as parliamentarians to debate the issues—we have that right. I hope that the member who spoke before me asks for some Government time so that we do not have to have short debates.

The bill on a national care service has promised a great deal but, with each passing month, the weight of that ambition has been forgotten. Instead of building a truly revolutionary service, the Scottish Government is tinkering around the edges of what the service would mean on the ground, while concentrating power in its own hands rather than in those of carers or people who require care.

Will the member take an intervention?

Okay. I suppose that Anne’s law has highlighted to us the need to ensure that such things are explored.

Thank you.

I just want to be clear. It has been mentioned that the bill moves towards centralisation. To give me some idea of what would be an alternative to that, will you talk me through what might allow us to get the good integration that we want?

I would like a bit of information about Anne’s law, which is about rights for care home residents. We are interested to understand whether the inclusion of Anne’s law in the bill will make circumstances easier for care home residents to be visited or to visit places during a public health threat. Will the bill provide that balance to ensure safety for residents, carers and staff?

On your last statement, do you think that we need additional legislation around the issue, or more accountability in how we proceed?

The witnesses might have answered some of my questions, but I will ask about local government integration with health and social care.

The Faculty of Advocates has given evidence that there seems to be

“a lack of provision in the Bill regarding the interrelation between the proposed national care boards and local authorities”,

which was much clearer when we introduced health and social care partnerships. Do the witnesses agree that that is the case? I ask them to be honest. There has been some suggestion that health and social care integration was slow and faced a lot of hurdles. I ask them to reflect on that. Are there things that the national care service could bring to the table in terms of integrating health and social care a little more easily or quickly?

I, too, thank Siobhian Brown for bringing this important debate to the chamber.

On behalf of Scottish Labour, I welcome the World Health Organization and the International Menopause Society designating October as world menopause month to raise awareness of the menopause, and I reiterate that we welcome the women’s health plan. We have pushed for action on women’s health throughout this parliamentary session and, indeed, the previous one. It is, of course, welcome that women’s health and health issues, such as the menopause, which was once avoided in public discussion, are receiving some of the spotlight that they deserve in the chamber.

I thank and admire the women across the chamber who have shared their stories this evening.

We have heard that it has been estimated that around 13 million women in the UK are either perimenopausal or menopausal at any one time. That is a massive number of women. Menopause is a major life event that marks the end of the reproductive lifecycle. As we have heard, many women experience very troublesome symptoms related to it, often for a number of years, and that can have a detrimental impact on their quality of life and wellbeing. For many, it can also have a significant impact on their personal relationships and in the workplace—I am pleased to say that we have heard that a number of times.

Considering all the symptoms that other members have raised, it is vital that people in our position speak up for those who are perhaps unable to do so. As Siobhian Brown mentioned, some celebrities have really come to the fore and put effort into ensuring that we can discuss such issues more openly. I know from my constituents about the stigma surrounding the menopause and menstrual and reproductive health. Women such as those celebrities and ourselves feel that we can move forward and that considering those issues is very important in a modern Scotland. We have seen change, but some women have reported to me—and, it seems, to other members—that it can feel that that change is at a snail’s pace.

In my last few minutes, I would like to concentrate my remarks on menopause in the workplace. Every single one of our female colleagues will go through the menopause. As we have heard, it is not a new issue, but, if we are being absolutely honest with ourselves, it is relatively new that is discussed openly, particularly in relation to workplace matters. I think that that is why a number of women have raised that issue this evening.

In 2019, the Scottish Trades Union Congress women’s committee did some pioneering work. Women across the workforce were asked and responded to a number of questions. Some of the results really highlighted the need to make menopause in the workplace a more visible issue. In summary, women said that they often found managing their menopause symptoms in the workplace to be extremely challenging.

Coping with menopause symptoms in the workplace can be hard, especially as many women find it so difficult to discuss them. Ninety-nine per cent of the respondents either did not have a workplace menopausal policy or did not know whether their workplace had one, and 63 per cent said that the menopause had been treated as a joke in their workplace. It is important that we talk about those issues, as that makes women more confident about speaking out if that happens in the workplace.

I fully support the work of the STUC women’s committee and the point that the member has made.

Trade unions are at the forefront of work to ensure that policies in the workplace support employees at challenging times of their lives, and menopause support, menopause policy development and eliminating menopause discrimination are all part of that.

I hope to work with the trade unions and the Government to ensure that we can make a difference for those women. I look forward to more discussions on the issue in the chamber, and I thank members for their contributions.