Current Petitions

PE1179, in the name of Helen Moran, on behalf of the Brain Injury Awareness Campaign, is on acquired brain injury services. Members have a copy of the petition and a note, including recommendations, from the clerk.The clerk’s note mentions that the Scottish Government has committed to introducing legislation on the integration of adult health and social care services; the consultation on that will be published in May 2012. We may wish to suggest that the Scottish Government invites the petitioners to participate in that consultation. The note also draws our attention to the fact that the Scottish Government has confirmed that, over the next two years, an ABI sub-group will proceed with work that will help to move the ABI network from a clinical network to a care network. It seems that the petition has achieved something, so we might consider closing it.

I draw the committee’s attention to the most recent submission from Helen Moran on the issue. She is in the public gallery today, and I commend her for the work that she has done not only on the petition, but in promoting the Public Petitions Committee system more widely.The petitioner specifically requests that the petition remain open until other factors are in place. In particular, she says“we see the Social Care side of treatment/support as lagging far behind”and that she would like to see a support strategy coming forward before being satisfied that the petition should be closed.There are a number of issues that we still need to consider. We must ensure that all the services are in place. It is okay to say that one part of the service, or the Scottish Government, recognises that something needs to be achieved, but there are other issues around the social care side of the treatment that need to be resolved. To satisfy the petitioner and those who support the petition, we need to ensure that they get a wider response than the narrow one that they have got at the moment. I respectfully request that the petition remain open until we get responses on the issues that the petitioner has raised.

I, too, support the suggestion that we keep the petition open. I am not entirely pleased with the response from the ADSW, which highlights only one local authority. West Dunbartonshire Council may be doing a very good job, but it is only one local authority out of 32. I wonder whether we should write directly to the local authorities rather than go through the ADSW, so that we can get their responses on the matter. If we approach the local authorities through the ADSW, we may receive a fairly selective reply.15:45

Thank you, Mark. We can write again to the local authorities. Obviously, that was one of the actions taken on the petition before you and I were members of the committee. Does the committee wish to continue the petition and keep it open for any further action?Members indicated agreement.

As I said, a public consultation will be published in May 2012 on the integration of adult health and social care services. I suggest that we ask the Scottish Government to invite the petitioners to participate in that consultation. Do members agree?Members indicated agreement.

As well as writing to local authorities, I suggest that we write to the Scottish Government to ask whether its intention is to draw up guidelines or draft legislation that would help to deliver the social care element of the issues that the petitioner has identified. The Government has indicated that it wants to take the matter forward and that it hopes that local authorities will take it forward. However, we in the Parliament have experience of the Government’s intentions not always being carried forward by local authorities. Guidelines may be needed, or measures may have to be put in place. We should ask the Scottish Government whether it intends to do that to ensure that we get a comprehensive support service throughout Scotland from all 32 local authorities.

The Scottish Government has made it clear that that is its intention. Are you suggesting that the ABI sub-group should write guidelines as part of its work, if it has not already done that?

I am suggesting that we should ask the Scottish Government to consider drawing up guidelines.

Is that the wish of the committee?Members indicated agreement.