Seòmar agus comataidhean

I have a question about the national social work agency, as stakeholders have approached many of us about it. I will then ask a more general question, if you do not mind.

Is it the intention to move forward with a national social work agency? I think that everyone agrees that we do not need legislation for that, but people are keen to know whether the agency would be just for social work or whether it would include the wider healthcare professional group.

In the statement, the minister acknowledged that

“We all know that the status quo is not an option.”

However, it feels as though Government ministers are the only people who do not understand that. For unpaid carers, it is quite simply an understatement. The labour of unpaid carers in Scotland saves the economy £15.9 billion each year. There are now no meaningful plans in place to guarantee breaks for unpaid carers. What is the Government doing to rectify that now?

I thank Roz McCall for bringing this significant issue to the attention of the Parliament. This is an important debate, and I am sure that many members will be able to speak about personal experiences, as it is estimated that more than half of Scotland’s adult population have a close personal connection to someone who has had a stroke.

Given the time constraints, I will not make some of the remarks that I was intending to, as many members have given the reasons why urgency is so important. It is critical that public awareness campaigns that focus on identifying stroke symptoms are supported and, of course, adequately resourced. It will be good to hear what the cabinet secretary has to say about that in his closing remarks.

The national FAST stroke awareness campaign, which is led by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, offers a chance to increase awareness of the importance of seeking medical help as soon as possible when people experience stroke symptoms. In the event of a stroke, timing is critical. The treatments of thrombolysis and thrombectomy are time sensitive, so awareness of symptoms is important. In my region, 10 patients received such treatment quickly in a local hospital in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran health board area, so I understand that it is important to invest in public awareness campaigns so that people get to hospitals whenever they can.

Public awareness campaigns are imperative not only in promoting health behaviours but in providing greater awareness of symptoms and the link with improved health outcomes. It is imperative that the Government invests in prevention to improve health outcomes across Scotland, especially in our most deprived communities, because people living in those areas are more likely to have experienced a major cardiovascular event, such as a stroke.

A key aspect of prevention is awareness raising, so the Scottish Government must recognise the importance of health awareness campaigns and listen to charities that are calling on the Government to deliver the priorities that are set out in the “Stroke Improvement Plan 2023”.

We have heard about the very important FAST campaign. Although strokes are generally more prevalent among the older population, the number of younger people who are experiencing strokes is increasing, so we need to make such campaigns accessible to that generation.

Roz McCall’s motion mentions the BE FAST campaign, and I absolutely recognise what she has said in promoting the effectiveness of that campaign. It is encouraging to hear about it, and I urge the Scottish Government to explore the campaign’s effectiveness and to consider how we can add it to our prevention and awareness campaigns.

I hope that the main message from the debate is clear: we need action as soon as possible, and we all want this to be a priority. Therefore, I ask the cabinet secretary to respond favourably.

People in South Scotland continue to report to me that, a year after an independent review highlighted multiple systemic problems with NHS audiology services, they are still being left to navigate a bureaucratic maze just to get a proper diagnosis. Will the minister commit to dealing urgently with that bureaucratic maze?

What I am saying is this: let us have a discussion about what is actually happening. I hope that, as I go through my speech, we will be able to have a think about that.

In today’s debate, I ask the Government—indeed, the cabinet secretary—to recognise the powers that we have here in Scotland, to acknowledge the increase in funding that is coming to Scotland, and to debate the transformation that we can have with a UK Labour Government that, by the admission of the Scottish Government, the cabinet secretary and others, is seeking to have a positive relationship with devolved Administrations. I repeat—a positive relationship with devolved Administrations. It is an important point.

I accept that the public, public services and the third sector rightly have an interest in the issue of how we fund public services. It is important that, if the Government of the day alters that funding, we provide people with clarity as to why those decisions have been made. People have a right to know, which is why we should be clear and transparent in all our Parliaments—and, of course, in this one.

As the Labour amendment indicates, this move is, in the long term, about improving public services and getting this country on a firm footing.

Of course.

I think that I have probably heard Ms Harper speak about him before. I take on board many of Ms Harper’s points and, like others, I appreciate all the work that she does in this area. It is important to have such issues raised in the chamber.

I have a close family friend, Lillian Welsh, who suffers from the condition. Therefore, I know how COPD impacts people’s daily lives and how it restricts work, social life and enjoyment of everyday activities, such as walking the dog or playing with grandchildren. It is a real-life condition, and it is important that the Parliament makes time to debate it.

I thank Marie McNair and others who have contributed to the debate for bringing an issue that is important to our constituents to the Parliament.

I want to make progress.

However, whether it be my party or other parties in Government, if there is a shared belief and a shared goal, we should all work together to get the best outcomes for our communities. My plea to the Scottish Government is to use that ability to be transformational. It can improve Scotland’s public services and give people a better future.

Thank you.

If only we could have constructive conversations in this chamber. That comment comes from a minister in a Government that has implemented an uncosted council tax freeze and which has put the public sector under enormous pressure. The same SNP that has drastically cut local government funds in its draft budget, which will put pressure on every part of our economy, and which has one in six Scots on a waiting list and a burgeoning two-tier healthcare system, does not allow us to discuss those things. I ask the minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to take the time to do so.

I say again that Labour has chosen to protect working people, which means that it is asking those with the broadest shoulders to take on as much as they can. Those are the initial steps. We know that more discussion needs to be had, but I hope that the Scottish Government will take action and discuss with the UK Government what can be done and where to go to ensure that we have an excellent public service in Scotland.

I want to make progress.

In order to even get close to achieving that, however, we require a sustainable public sector that everyone can benefit from. That is an achievement in which, I must say, the Scottish Government has often seemed to lack interest, given its decisions in recent years. It is disappointing that the SNP’s posture in its motion, after 17 years in Government, is about the UK Government and not about an opportunity to discuss what we can do.

In the recent UK budget, Labour chose to protect working people, which meant asking the wealthiest—and business—to pay their fair share. That will not be an overnight process after more than a decade of devastating Tory austerity, but it is a solid step in the right direction. Scotland is set to receive an extra £3.4 billion in Treasury funding—our biggest settlement since devolution. I say that again: it is the biggest block grant in the history of devolution, and the SNP Government has a responsibility to discuss its delivery. What will it choose to do? Will it choose our front-line services?

I remind the chamber that, in that increased block grant, Labour has taken into account the effect on the public sector of the additional national insurance contributions that it will be subject to. That is responsible governance. The UK Government has made it clear that it will listen to the devolved Governments and take the liabilities that they face into account. That is an open and on-going discussion, in which I hope that the Scottish Government will engage constructively.

I see that the minister is laughing. I am seriously trying to ask—