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Chamber and committees

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 18 August 2025
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Displaying 1174 contributions

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Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Female Participation in Sport and Physical Activity

Meeting date: 28 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

My questions here have been covered; I have nothing further.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Golden Jubilee National Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Highland)

Meeting date: 28 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

A major outcome of the pandemic has been the increase in mental health conditions and demand for the associated services. We note that the recent budget allocation of 拢290 million for mental health funding restored the 拢38 million provision that was cut as part of the emergency budget review. Although that is welcome, it is still, in effect, a freeze on funding for mental health across the national health service in Scotland. That is being compounded by recent announcements such as Glasgow health and social care partnership鈥檚 announcement of a 拢22 million cut in its service provision and the consequent loss of 197 positions. I am sure that that will be carried on across Scotland.

I invite the witnesses to comment on whether that will have practical impacts on their service delivery. Is that a bit of a false economy across the public service provision for mental health in Scotland? My impression is that, in many areas, we are robbing Peter to pay Paul. As chief executives, do you share that impression?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Golden Jubilee National Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Highland)

Meeting date: 28 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

Okay. That is fair.

I want to go back to a point that was made. I accept completely that overmedicalising can often be counterproductive and maybe not appropriate. However, I am looking at the metrics. I will take Glasgow and Clyde. In 2019-20, 111 people had their CAMHS referral rejected and were re-referred by their GP and, in 2021-22, 414 people were referred again after rejection. I take on board the point about appropriate presentation, appropriate referrals and whether they are required, but a second referral could suggest that a clinician鈥攖hat is, a GP鈥攂elieves that the patient needs that help and is not getting it on first asking, and has therefore reiterated the referral. Are budgetary pressures increasing the threshold, rather than it being a case of judgments being made about clinical appropriateness?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Female Participation in Sport and Physical Activity

Meeting date: 21 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

I am conscious that yesterday the leadership of South Lanarkshire Council called for the Scottish Government to consider the creation of a swimming pool fund, similar to that which was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer last week for swimming pools in England.

I go to Euan Lowe of Scottish Swimming first. Do you support those calls? Does Scottish Swimming have a view on how such a fund could be used to improve facilities and support the needs of women and girls?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders and NHS Forth Valley)

Meeting date: 21 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

Okay. You mentioned the preventative spend bill, and I want to ask about preventative maintenance, in particular. We know that some health boards have severe repair backlogs on capital investment. Such repairs can end up becoming far more expensive over time if they are not preventatively tackled. Is that a challenge in your health boards? Do you have a repair backlog that is concerning? Is it a risk that you see to be significant? How do you approach preventative maintenance?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders and NHS Forth Valley)

Meeting date: 21 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

I will jump to the other end of the patient journey in acute hospital settings. Do you actively track the opportunity costs of delayed discharge in hospitals and the impact that that has on your overall capacity to deliver community-based services? Is there almost a reflex situation in which delayed discharge denies us opportunities to invest in more appropriate care settings?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders and NHS Forth Valley)

Meeting date: 21 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

It certainly is, as you have observed. Can you envisage a viable mechanism for unravelling the situation so that a more sustainable approach is taken? It seems very much to be wrapped up in a self-perpetuating cycle at the moment. How do we recover the situation?

09:30  

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders and NHS Forth Valley)

Meeting date: 21 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

My main interest is in how capital investment can be used to drive revenue savings in the national health service. I would be interested to know what your boards have done to utilise capital investment as a way of reducing revenue costs for utilities in particular through investing in things such as district heating networks.

There is a good model at the Golden Jubilee hospital, which has recently worked in partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council to introduce the Queens Quay district heating network scheme. The scheme will deliver a major cost saving for the hospital estate as well as benefiting the wider community and getting people off the gas grid by using the river-sourced district heating network. Could that kind of model, which offers a high return on capital investment, be a way of conquering the current challenge of high utility costs?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders and NHS Forth Valley)

Meeting date: 21 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

That would be helpful. Do you have a slate of proposed capital investment schemes and a formula that tells you your expected return on investment?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Scrutiny of NHS Boards (NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders and NHS Forth Valley)

Meeting date: 21 March 2023

Paul Sweeney

That is definitely helpful. Thank you.