Seòmar agus comataidhean

There any no other comments or suggestions from the committee.

We have the Scottish Government’s response. Could we slip in an extra question when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care is next with the committee? As the topic is fresh in our minds, if the cabinet secretary is with us next week, we could do that, just to get an understanding of what the Government could do to accelerate access. It is a matter of considerable public concern. The cabinet secretary might prefer to wait until a later date, but let us see whether that is a possibility.

Are members content with that approach?

Members indicated agreement.

I highlight to those petitioners whose petition we have considered for the first time today that, as a matter of practice, in the first instance, we invite the Scottish Government to comment. Therefore, before we make recommendations, we have its response and any further submissions that have been received.

Thank you all for your new petitions. That brings us to the end of the public part of our meeting.

Thank you. We will keep the petition open and proceed on that basis.

We have the cabinet secretary at our next meeting, where we will be able to pursue a number of the issues. Thank you, Karen, for your courage and resilience. It has been a privilege to have you with us this morning to discuss the issues. I know that I speak on behalf of all the committee when I wish you and your family every happiness in the future.

PE1871 has been lodged by Karen McKeown on behalf of the shining lights for change group. Before we proceed, I should say that, in a moment, we will be discussing suicide and other challenging topics and that, if you are joining or watching our proceedings and know of anyone who is struggling, the NHS 24/7 mental health line can be reached by dialling 111.

The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to carry out a full review of mental health services in Scotland to include the referral process, crisis support, risk assessments, safe plans, integrated services working together, first response support and the support that is available to families who have been affected by suicide.

We are joined by Karen McKeown. The committee does not routinely hear from petitioners; however, we were certain that having her with us would help us get a proper understanding of the issues, and we also felt that it would give her the opportunity to speak to the committee about why her petition is important. I thank her for coming to Holyrood and for taking the time to speak to the committee.

Karen is joined by Monica Lennon MSP, who I will not say has a season ticket to the committee—she might get a bus pass, at the very least—but is certainly an assiduous supporter of ours. She, too, spoke in support of the petition when we first considered it some time ago. We will invite Monica to contribute to our proceedings after committee members have concluded their questions.

Karen, before we begin, is there anything that you would like to say? My introductory question was to ask whether you would like to talk about your experiences and why you have highlighted them and lodged the petition.

Are colleagues content for the clerks to summarise the evidence that we have heard from the various parties and bring forward some recommendations that have arisen from the conversations that we have had? We can have a look at that summary at a future meeting, ahead of submitting it by way of a formal representation to the Scottish Government and to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. Does that meet with the committee’s approval?

Members indicated agreement.

PE1837, which was lodged by Stephen Leighton, is on providing clear direction and investment for autism support. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to clarify how autistic people who do not have a learning disability and/or mental disorder can access support, and to allocate investment for autism support teams in every local authority or health and social care partnership in Scotland.

We last considered the petition on 4 May, when we agreed to follow up with the Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care on a number of points that were raised during our evidence session. In response, the minister has detailed a range of on-going work to support and invest in people with autism.

I am pleased to say that the petitioner has said that he is satisfied with the outcome of the minister’s response. He states that the letter is

“a safety net that ensures all autistic people in Scotland have the legal right to at least an assessment of their needs”.

As the petitioner is satisfied, he has requested that we close his petition, and he has thanked the committee for its hard work on the matter. I thank Mr Leighton for bringing the petition to the committee. We are pleased to read positive reflections about his experience of engaging with us on the matter, and I am delighted that the petition has led to a successful outcome.

With the committee’s agreement, therefore, we will close the petition. Are members agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

Agenda item 2 is consideration of continued petitions. PE1887, on the creation of an unborn victims of violence act, was submitted by Nicola Murray, from whom we took evidence when we last considered the petition. Originally, we hoped to convene this further evidence-taking session at our first meeting after the summer recess, but it proved too difficult to get everybody together at the appropriate time. It is a little bit later than scheduled, but we are now able to consider the petition again.

The petition urges the Scottish Government to introduce an unborn victims of violence act, which would create a specific offence to enable courts to hand down longer sentences for perpetrators of domestic violence that causes miscarriage.

We are joined this morning by Dr Mary Neal from the University of Strathclyde, Steven Tidy from Victim Support Scotland and Dr Marsha Scott from Scottish Women’s Aid. I thank you all for coming to speak to us today. Members have a number of issues that they would like to explore so, if you are quite happy, we will move to the first question. Please indicate when you wish to speak and I will come to you in turn.

We had a really compelling evidence-taking session with the petitioner. There is quite a bit of evidence that we still need to take but, as a general introductory question, will our three guests give us their views on the evidence on the level and impact of domestic abuse during pregnancy? Would anyone like to indicate their general feelings on that matter?

PE1952, on specialist services for patients with autonomic dysfunction, was lodged by Jane Clarke. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to instruct Scotland’s NHS to form specialist services training resources and a clinical pathway for the diagnosis and treatment of patients exhibiting symptoms of autonomic nervous system dysfunction, or dysautonomia.

Jane tells us that autonomic nervous system disorders are common and that they are also often a complication of long Covid. She highlights the severe impact of the condition on people’s quality of life and life expectancy. Jane says that, in Scotland, there is no clinical pathway for dysautonomia, no specialist hub to diagnose and treat patients, and no access to local or regional healthcare for most patients. She highlights challenges and referrals to specialists in England, and lengthy treatment delays and the related impacts of that on individuals, including children.

In a further submission, Jane has provided additional information and comments on the Scottish Government’s response. According to Jane, a member of the NICE expert panel on long-term effects of Covid-19 has said that Scotland does not currently follow the relevant guidance in relation to multidisciplinary doctor-led services. Jane notes that a lack of data on the prevalence of such conditions in Scotland means that there is also no data on whether services are adequate.

The Scottish Government response states that there is expertise in Scotland to manage such conditions and that, where additional expertise is required, pathways are in place to allow patients to access services in England. It also states that the clinical guideline on identifying, addressing and managing the long-term effects of Covid-19 is supported by the Scottish Government’s implementation support note, which has been circulated to all NHS health boards.

Do members have any comments or suggestions?

Thank you, Mr Stewart. As no colleagues have any other comments or suggestions, are we content to progress as Mr Stewart has suggested?

Members indicated agreement.