Anas Sarwar
Scottish Labour · Scotland
“Before I begin, I join others in condemning the appalling anti-Muslim attack in Edinburgh. No Scot should live in fear and every Scot should live in safety. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and with the wider Muslim community. I put on record my thanks to all the emergency services that responded so quickly and effectively.”
“It says that the “sector faces significant challenges”, that the Government “lacks a clear plan”, that reforms have “not been adequately resourced” and that there is a risk that it “will not achieve the intended outcomes.” In 2022, Audit Scotland concluded that the Scottish National Party Government had “not provided the necessary leaders…”
“Seven months after a national review into maternity services was committed to, Professor Christine McCourt has finally been appointed as its chair. Although that is welcome, more urgency is needed. Earlier this month, Healthcare Improvement Scotland published its report into the Queen Elizabeth university hospital.”
“I put on the record my thanks, and the thanks of the Scottish Labour Party, for the work done by Dorothy Bain KC as Lord Advocate over the past five years. Dorothy Bain is a highly regarded professional who has given dedicated service to her country and her profession, and we thank her for that service.”
“The law must serve the public; it must not serve the convenience of institutions, the comfort of ministers or the interests of those who are already in positions of power.”
“Ruth Charteris is someone whom I like, respect and hold in high regard, as I do her predecessor, and I have no doubt that she will do the job to the best of her ability and to the standard that the people in this country expect.”
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“Our national health service and social care system is in permanent crisis under the Scottish National Party. One route to solving the crisis lies in tackling delayed discharge, where a patient is medically cleared to go home but cannot, often due to the lack of a care package. In the words of Dr Iain Kennedy of the British Medical Association, “The key to unlocking the front door of our hospitals lies at the back door.” However, under the SNP, delayed discharge has soared. On Monday, I raised the case of Yvonne, a 68- year-old grandmother from Auchterarder who is living with multiple sclerosis. Despite being medically cleared to go home, she had to spend an extra two months in hospital waiting for a care package. In desperation, she took to wearing T- shirts that said, “Can I go home now?” and “Bed blocker”.”
“Will he now apologise to the NHS staff that he and his Scottish National Party Government are failing every day?”
“Last week, I raised the case of Robert, a retired policeman from Lanarkshire, who spent five and a half hours on the floor in accident and emergency before being given morphine and a bed. The First Minister apologised but, as usual, he then used hard-working national health service staff as his political shield. Today, the Royal College of Nursing has published a damning report that lays bare the impact that the crisis has on NHS patients and staff. One nurse said: “I deliver care in inappropriate settings every single day all day. It deprives the patient of privacy and dignity, it forces us to go against our codes and training.” That is shameful. Last week, John Swinney apologised to patients, and he has just done that again today.”
“In October, I warned of a winter crisis brewing in our national health service but, instead of taking action to develop a plan to keep patients and staff safe, the Scottish National Party buried its head in the sand. The result has been deadly chaos. Over Christmas, 1,642 people waited more than 12 hours in accident and emergency departments, ambulances were put on red alert, a flu wave piled even more pressure on our hospitals, and thousands of people waited for hours even to get their calls answered by NHS 24. Dr Iain Kennedy of the British Medical Association said: “The NHS as we know it will struggle to see out another year”. That is the deadly consequence of John Swinney plunging our NHS into a permanent crisis. Is that not the clearest sign that the SNP is taking Scotland in the wrong direction?”