Seòmar agus comataidhean

Ed Humpherson spoke about the rich picture, but we often have to translate so that individuals know and understand what data collection means for them. That applies to patients and to the people who input data—the healthcare professionals who are run ragged trying to keep 100 balls in the air and are then asked to type in some stuff.

What can you do for those two groups—patients and healthcare professionals? Can you give a specific example of how we can translate what data means for them?

Ed, you talked about the fact that we have been very agile and have moved at pace in respect of data during the pandemic. A specific example comes to mind of how that manifested itself. NHS Lothian was very reticent about accepting the Chrome browser on any of its systems, which was a massive hurdle to the utilisation by patients of the NHS “attend anywhere” platform. How did you get around that during the pandemic? I should probably state that, as a councillor on the City of Edinburgh Council, I had a motion at the integration joint board to get the health board to move over to that system. What was the final trigger that led to the board moving over in that way?

This question might be most appropriate for Steve Baguley, but others can contribute. We are seeing a significant issue with delayed discharge, a lot of which is down to care-at-home capacity not being there. We are now also seeing what is being called interim discharge. How could and should home and remote health-monitoring technologies be further developed? Can you see them helping—in the short term, medium term and long term—with the crisis in the discharge process?

Scotland has only 13 health boards, but many more local authorities. There is a small cohort of healthcare providers. What can the Scottish Government do now to be more forceful and to ensure that best practice, such as in Grampian, is not just spoken about but is consistently implemented across the country?

Minister, you have mentioned a number of times the importance of listening to the voices of those with lived experience. As we heard from Paul O’Kane, the suicide prevention action plan from 2018 was reviewed back in March. The plan stated:

“Our vision is supported by our key strategic aims of a Scotland where ... people at risk of suicide feel able to ask for help, and have access to skilled staff and well-coordinated support”.

I have been contacted by a friend who knew two ladies who, tragically, both committed suicide very recently and who had cried out for help many times. Both were looking for access to rehabilitation services. One woman was told that she could not be helped because she was not on benefits and “looked amazing”. She took a paracetamol overdose when drunk, and she died four days later sober. I am emotional—I am sorry. Her other friend lost her job of 33 years. She was in the system and well known, and she was desperate for help. She hanged herself and left her young family behind. They were both able to ask for help, but it was denied. That is the harsh reality of what is happening again and again in our communities.

What is the Scottish Government doing now to help these people? Those suicides could have been prevented. Today, I want to make sure that we acknowledge that their lives mattered. I want those in decision-making positions to be able to do something about that.

The level of local service being X in one place and non-existent in another is relevant to the earlier discussion about mental health.

Is economic modelling under way to cost the proposals? I am looking at a chart that shows the number of care homes in Scotland. There are 1,069, 63 per cent of which are privately owned and 23 per cent of which are run by the voluntary or not-for-profit sector. That means that the balance—142 care homes—is under local authority control. I apologise for giving a lot of numbers. In relation to the economics of funding something or the reforms that might happen, what economic modelling is taking place?

I understand the rationale for the interim care facilities, but surely they are just going to result in more of the most vulnerable people making multiple moves over a short period of time from one facility to the next. What will happen if there is no care package in the community after the six weeks? If the community care issues could be solved in six weeks, why has that not happened already? This is all the stuff that is going round in my brain. Also, delayed discharge is not new. If anything, during Covid, we had some rapid discharges from hospitals into care facilities and we are now looking back and being a little bit reticent about those decisions.

I am trying to figure out what will happen if, after the six weeks, nothing is in place in the community. Also, how many people are currently in what are classed as interim care facilities? Where is that data recorded? Are they still classified as delayed discharges? I ask those questions so that we can get a sense of how things are progressing.

Thank you, convener. In the question on the theme of delayed discharges, I should have declared that I am a City of Edinburgh Council councillor. I apologise.

I hope that my question will follow on nicely from those of Stephanie Callaghan and Carol Mochan.

I want to ask you about health inequalities across Scotland, minister. You mentioned the established and successful CAMH service in Grampian but, in Lothian, it is quite a different story for the many young people who are trying to access services. The counselling is being rolled out quite differently across local authorities—some are lagging behind or doing very little. As taxpayers, we want to ensure that every single penny is spent well and reflects the intended purpose of the investment. What actions are you taking to address those inequalities in the delivery of mental health services across the country?

You spoke to us about the importance of the 20-minute neighbourhood, which involves easy access to things within walking distance. You made the statement that centralising services far away is not helpful. You have also mentioned, and are aware of, the importance of good-quality end-of-life palliative care close to the heart of communities. Will the Government therefore encourage health boards to do everything that they can to preserve and expand the services that are in local communities?

On a specific local issue, my colleague Craig Hoy and I were at the “Hands around the Edington” rally on Sunday. Right now, that issue is a very serious one for the community in North Berwick. We have already said that care should be within communities. Will you now reach out to NHS Lothian and urgently reverse the closure of the in-patient palliative beds at the Edington hospital?