Ignoring human rights report ignores the needs of Caithness
Holyrood Notebook by Rhoda Grant
Healthcare is once again the biggest issue which has been dominating not only my constituency inbox but also my Parliamentary time.
Last month, I held a Members’ Debate on the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s Spotlight Project into the Economic, Social and Cultural rights of the Highlands and Islands.
I stressed the need to “rural-proof” policy design and delivery so that rural residents do not face further inequalities.
I also highlighted the shelving of the Human Rights Bill by this SNP government and how a human rights based approach to funding would address most of the issues outlined in this report.
I had hoped that this debate would force a response from the Scottish Government as they had not officially responded to the commission or those involved in the creation of this report.
It came to light that they have not yet considered it. That is disappointing given that it has been published for months. It suggests to me that this SNP government is giving this report little priority – and that is unacceptable and ignores the needs of Caithness and the Highlands and Islands in general to have their human rights met.
I will continue to push for an official response from the Scottish Government and continue to raise this valuable report.
Additionally, in a separate debate, I raised delayed discharge and the complexities NHS Highland face in addressing this issue.
In 2022, social care services in Highland were able to provide 14,497 hours of care each week between in-house and external providers.
This had reduced to 13,423 by the end of February 2024. That is a decrease of 1074 hours in just two years when demand is increasing. Demand will continue to grow as we have an ageing demographic.
Furthermore, NHS Highland have experienced eight care home closures in recent times. It’s little wonder we have patients spending months in hospital waiting to be discharged.
This Scottish Government have proposed a “renewal” – however, I have little faith. Firstly because previous attempts to address the issue have failed and secondly, they are issuing apps and digital platforms which may be beneficial in our more urban areas but will have little effect in our most rural corners where internet connections are poor.
I believe to address this we need to start offering more healthcare courses in Highland at our university. Additionally, Scottish Labour will develop a 10-year NHS workforce plan which will see the NHS of tomorrow rooted in local communities.
To end this column, I wish to highlight that I am disappointed that Orbex will not review their pause of the Sutherland spaceport even though they have successfully gained more funding from the UK government.
They tell me that this does speed up the process; however, I remain convinced that continued development of the Sutherland site is crucial and will keep pushing for this.
• Rhoda Grant is a Labour MSP for the Highlands and Islands.
