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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 9 March 2025
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Displaying 1095 contributions

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Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Public Health Stakeholder Session

Meeting date: 21 September 2021

Emma Harper

I am thinking about low-hanging fruit. Healthcare providers are starting to get more education about adverse childhood experiences. Police officers in South Ayrshire are now going through training to recognise ACEs, which is really important. When I started my vaccination programme training, there was nothing in the e-learning modules about tackling stigma related to alcohol and drugs for healthcare professionals who work outside alcohol and drug services. If we are thinking about low-hanging fruit and on-the-ground delivery of education, do you think that we need to consider ensuring that healthcare professionals know about adverse childhood experiences as well as things such as the stigma that is related to alcohol and drugs?

10:00  

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Public Health Stakeholder Session

Meeting date: 21 September 2021

Emma Harper

Thanks, convener, and good morning to our panel of experts.

The Scottish Government has published its public health priorities, with a number of items that need to be addressed. Among the priorities are:

“A Scotland where we flourish in our early years ... A Scotland where we have good mental wellbeing ... A Scotland where we reduce the use of and harm from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs”.

Six priorities are listed. This is the first time that Scotland has had a simple, overarching public health strategy, and it is the first time that the national public health priorities have been aimed at wider determinants of health.

I am now co-convener of the cross-party groups on health inequalities, on improving Scotland’s health and on diabetes. I am trying to bring them all together so that we can have everybody round the table having the same conversation, instead of having different conversations in silos.

I am interested to hear whether the expert panellists agree with the Scottish Government’s public health priorities. Do you think that something needs to be added?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

NHS Stakeholder Session

Meeting date: 21 September 2021

Emma Harper

Over the past few weeks since the recovery plan was published, we have heard that there will be a need to address backlogs in the diagnosis of cancer—including breast and bowel cancer diagnostic processes and cervical smear tests—ophthalmic surgery and cataract treatments and hip and knee replacements. How will we address that demand? During the pandemic, elective work basically stopped. Even now, the intensive care units are filled with Covid patients rather than, for example, elective bowel surgery patients. Where do you think that the backlog of surgery requirements and diagnostic testing needs to be tackled?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

NHS Stakeholder Session

Meeting date: 21 September 2021

Emma Harper

Dr Sue Robertson.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

NHS Stakeholder Session

Meeting date: 21 September 2021

Emma Harper

What value do we need to place on social prescribing, in order to stop folk people getting poor health in the first place, as well as support work such as pulmonary rehab and mitigation of type 2 diabetes complications? That question goes to Dr Robertson again.

11:30  

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Meeting date: 15 September 2021

Emma Harper

I have a quick question for Calum Duncan about marine litter. You made a presentation to the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism, of which I am a member, towards the end of the previous parliamentary session, when you spoke about work that was being done to deal with marine litter. Is work being done to connect and collaborate with inshore fishermen on how to deal with marine litter? One fisherman in Kirkcudbright, for example, has been doing a good job of securing what needs to be secured on his boat so that things do not fly over the side. I am just seeking a wee update on that.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Meeting date: 15 September 2021

Emma Harper

I realise that we are challenged for time, so your responses can perhaps be given down the line, either in written form or at future sessions.

My question, which is for Elaine Whyte, is about the local management and governance of inshore fisheries. There are a lot of smaller boats on the west coast. People need to be more connected with communities. As you mentioned, in the south-west—in the Irish Sea—there are Isle of Man waters, English waters, the Solway Firth and Irish Sea waters. All of that is in the mix, and it must be quite challenging to manage inshore fishery aspects of those waters. We now have a border in the Irish Sea. It would be interesting to hear about what should and could be done and about what items we should be thinking about in the future.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Meeting date: 15 September 2021

Emma Harper

My question is not for right now, convener; I was just going to say that I can come in after Alasdair Allan.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Meeting date: 15 September 2021

Emma Harper

Good morning. I have no interests to declare.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Session 6 Priorities (Drugs Policy)

Meeting date: 14 September 2021

Emma Harper

Thank you for breaking down the finances.

Much has been made of the cost of residential rehab. The Castle Craig clinic, which is mentioned in a BBC article, costs £2,500 a week for one person. There is a variety of residential approaches. The number of residential beds in Scotland has increased to 418, which is up from 365 previously. That is good news. There is a breadth of residential rehabilitation and a variety of costs. The Scottish Government is looking at a tailored person-centred approach that fits each person. You have talked about families and about Phoenix Futures.

Will you report back to us, in the chamber or in committee, on your assessment of all those pathways for funding and how they are working?