Scottish Parliament Update September 2007

PARLIAMENTARY MOTION

World Alzheimer’s Day 21 September – Irene Oldfather (Lab – Cunninghame South) the Parliament expresses support for World Alzheimer’s Day on Friday 21 September 2007 as an occasion when Alzheimer Scotland, alongside Alzheimer’s organisations across the globe, concentrates its efforts in raising awareness of dementia; notes that there are an estimated 24 million people around the world who currently have dementia and around 62,000 people living with dementia in Scotland today; acknowledges that it is important to raise awareness of dementia as an illness and campaign to reduce the misunderstandings and stigma that exist about the condition recognises the importance of advocacy for his vulnerable group; further acknowledges that maintaining current levels of service provision will not be an option due to the projected increase in the number of people with dementia in Scotland, which is expected to rise by 75% in under 25 years to around 108,000 by 2031, and therefore recognises that improvements to services must be made to promote the highest standards of health and community care.

Supported by: Brian Adam, Jackie Baillie, Robert Brown, Bill Butler, Malcolm Chisholm, Marlyn Glen, Christine Grahame, James Kelly, Andy Kerr, Bill Kidd, Ken Macintosh, Michael McMahon, Des McNulty, Nanette Milne, Margaret Mitchell, Mary Mulligan, Dr Elaine Murray, Alex Neil, Elizabeth Smith, David Stewart, Jamie Stone, David Whitton, Joe FitzPatrick, Trish Godman, Iain Gray, Marilyn Livingstone, Hugh O'Donnell, Karen Whitefield, Claire Baker, Bob Doris, Karen Gillon, Cathie Craigie, Tom McCabe, Hugh Henry, Cathy Jamieson, Robin Harper, Peter Peacock, Dr Bill Wilson, Rhoda Grant, Cathy Peattie

MINISTERS QUESTION TIME

Council cost cutting/ voluntary sector grants for supporting vulnerable and older people – Ian Gray (Lab – East Lothian) asked the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop the role of the voluntary sector in supporting vulnerable and older people in their communities. Concerned that voluntary sector grants will be seen as a soft target for savings by councils. Asked if it will be made clear to councils that they must continue to fund the vital work of voluntary organisations in supporting the elderly and vulnerable. Jim Mather (Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism) the Scottish Government greatly appreciates the voluntary sectors valuable contribution towards supporting vulnerable and older people. We want to bring together the voluntary sector, councils and other stakeholders to optimise the situation. We have taken a similar approach with the private sector and believe that that approach will work effectively so that there is a spirit of openness and we adopt a common goal, identify constraints and work to achieve better outcomes. We can hope to achieve greater optimisation and use money better in the longer term.

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

Legislative programme
The Scottish Government announced its legislative programme for the year ahead. They propose a total of eleven Bills to be introduced to the Scottish Parliament. There is one Bill that may be of particular interest to people with dementia and their carers. The Local Healthcare (Scotland) Bill is intended to encourage greater public involvement in the planning and delivery of local healthcare services by introducing direct elections to Scotland’s NHS Boards. For the full list of proposed Bills and an outline of the Scottish Governments priorities go to

http://www.scottishexecutive.gov.uk/Topics/Government/legislative-programme

Consultation on health care and NHS priorities in Scotland
The Scottish Government is consulting on what the health and wellbeing priorities should be in Scotland and how they could be achieved. Health inequalities, the ageing population and the growth in long term conditions have been identified as the main challenges for the NHS. This will require a change from the current model of health care towards a system that is more geared towards long term conditions, recognises patients and carers as partners in care and encourages self care.
The Scottish Government has stated that there will be smaller increases in public spending. This makes responses to the consultation crucial in promoting the needs of people with dementia and their carers, as improvements in health and social care will be based on rigorous prioritising.

We have put together a short questionnaire to consult with members, people with dementia, carers, staff and those with an interest in dementia care in order to shape our response to the Scottish Government. The questionnaire is available on our website at www.alzscot.org/pages/policy/betterhealthconsultation.htm

If you would like to read or respond to the Scottish Governments full consultation document see www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Action-Plan