New Petitions

Petition PE674 is on funding of services for sufferers of motor neurone disease. It is the last of the new petitions that are before us and comes from Jan H van Atten, who is based in the Netherlands and is a member of the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association. The organisation informs and supports health and social care professionals who work with people who are affected by MND, and it raises awareness about and promotes research on the condition.The petitioner calls on the Parliament to consider the funding of services for people who suffer from motor neurone disease in the context of the SMNDA's manifesto for the Scottish Parliament, which calls for increased funding for the overall care, treatment and support services that are provided by the national health service to those who suffer from MND. It also calls on the Parliament to ensure that the SMNDA can continue its valuable work.The SMNDA manifesto calls for: a commitment from Parliament to encourage NHS boards and trusts to work with the Scottish MND community in raising awareness, and to direct resources to services for those who are affected; a requirement that all health and social care staff who are involved in the care of people with MND undergo specific MND awareness training; and recognition by statutory authorities of the rapidly progressing nature of MND and the need to fast-track requests for services from people with MND.

Given the nature of the petition, it is perfectly legitimate for us to write to the Executive and to seek its comments on how it intends to take action in those areas. It is ultimately down to NHS boards and trusts to decide how they operate and interface with the Scottish motor neurone disease community. Nevertheless, the Executive has a pivotal role and, as a first step, it would be useful if we wrote to find out what it is doing.

Is that agreed?Members indicated agreement.