Seòmar agus comataidhean

Good morning, and welcome to the 15th meeting in 2024 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received no apologies.

Agenda item 1 is a decision on taking business in private. Do members agree to take items 4 and 5 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Agenda item 2 is an evidence-taking session with Dr Hilary Cass on her review of gender identity services for children and young people, which was commissioned by NHS England.

Dr Cass, the chair of the Cass review, is joining us remotely and I welcome her to the committee. We will move straight to questions, Dr Cass. Thank you for your time.

I call Ruth Maguire.

Thank you. I was just seeking clarity on that point. I call Ivan McKee.

That is all well and good in terms of the agencies, but in terms of families and those who are using the substances, what sort of education and outreach is there to equip them with that information about what is emerging and what the dangers are of those particular substances?

Good morning—I got that in just under the wire.

Minister, as you may know, I asked the previous panel about synthetic opioids, which you mentioned in your opening statement—you spoke about the threats that they pose and the increased risk. There was a gentle challenge back from members of the first panel, who said—I am paraphrasing rather than quoting—that there might be too much focus on synthetic opioids, and that people’s lives are being impacted by, and, indeed, people are dying as a result of, the kind of drug use that existed prior to synthetic opioids coming into the picture.

What are the Government and your officials doing to address that threat? What additional measures are you putting in place in relation to synthetic opioids?

Before I continue, I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests: I am a nurse and have a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and I recently worked in Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s alcohol and drug recovery service.

You touched briefly on toxicology, and earlier, in a previous answer, someone mentioned delays in toxicology. What work is being done to ensure that we get toxicology results back in a more efficient manner, not only for academic interest but for families?

Thank you.

Could you or one of your officials write to the committee with that update?

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests. I hold a bank nurse contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and I recently worked in an alcohol and drug recovery service on a bank shift.

Russell Findlay has already covered much of what I was going to ask on synthetic opioids, which we have known about for some time. Public Health Scotland published a rapid action drug alerts and response—RADAR—alert in January 2023, which was updated in December, and Dundee alcohol and drug partnership noted in its submission an increased risk associated with emergent synthetic opioids. So, what more do we need to do to tackle the issue and get ahead of that danger that is coming towards us?

I will come back to Kirsten Horsburgh in a second, because she might be able to wrap up her answer with her response to my next question.

Dr Fletcher mentioned harm reduction and the use of naloxone. We have seen a decrease in the use of emergency naloxone, and I am keen to hear from our witnesses how they interpret that. Is it a sign that it is not needed as much, or does it indicate that people are not using it because they do not see that they need it or are unable to access it?

Kirsten, can you wrap up both of those questions when you answer?