Author: Rhoda Grant

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has welcomed the news that the court case relating to the roll out of the Scottish Government’s R100 contract in the Highlands and Islands has been settled, saying this now gives the Scottish Government no further excuse for getting properties in the Highlands and Islands connected to superfast broadband.
The Labour MSP said “Since the SNP came to power in 2007, I, and my former colleague, Peter Peacock, have campaigned vigorously for improvement to broadband connections in the Highlands and Islands.
“Excuse after excuse has been given by SNP ministers for this not happening, in spite of it being one of their manifesto pledges in 2016, in 2017 and in 2019.
“This court ruling now leaves the SNP with nowhere to hide.
Mrs Grant continued “Our communities throughout the Highlands and Islands have been crying out for years for better broadband, or indeed in some cases, any broadband.
“Highlands and Islands Enterprise did the best job they possibly could in getting broadband out round our region but they need the proper financial resources to do this.
“Indeed the Rural Economy Secretary, Fergus Ewing, said he would quit if the broadband pledge wasn’t met by 2021. He should now reflect on this and ensure the money needed gets directed to the Highlands and Islands without any further delay.
“Our communities desperately need it, even more so now with Covid meaning that everyone is relying is more on internet connections, for learning, for business, for health consultations and for social purposes. The SNP need to finally show the people of the Highlands and Islands that they matter and get these connections rolled out to our communities.”

MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee have today (Sept 10) agreed to hear evidence from a leading Consultant Neurosurgeon to support an Inverness campaigner’s petition for the introduction of focus ultra sound technology to Scotland to treat people with Essential Tremor.

Mary Ramsay, from Dalneigh, Chair of the Scottish Tremor Society, is asking the Scottish Government to back the provision of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) equipment costing an estimated £1.6million.

Today her MSP, Labour’s Rhoda Grant, spoke to the cross-party committee asking for the petition to be kept open and highlighting that campaigners were keen that the committee hear oral evidence from Professor Dipankar Nandi, a leading medical expert in the field, and also view a short video of a patient’s experience of the treatment.

Committee Convener, Johann Lamont MSP, said there was a consensus that there was still an issue to be followed up and the committee would seek to hear from the Professor, if not in person but by some other means.

Mrs Ramsay, who watched the virtual session from home on parliamentary television, said afterwards she was in tears at some of the emotional statements from MSPs.

“I’m absolutely delighted that the petition is remaining open and that they are going to hear from the professor. I am also hopeful that they will see the video on Geoff Sleight the patient who has benefited from the treatment. It’s quite remarkable the difference it has made to his life.

“I will not give up until this is available on the NHS.”

During the committee session, Mrs Grant, who represents the Highlands and Islands, said there was a definite sense of frustration that magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) technology was not yet available in Scotland but was in England and in other places throughout the world.

“Add to this, an energetic fund-raising campaign to make this equipment available to the whole of Scotland and you can see why the campaigners with Essential Tremor and their families are anxious that this committee and the Scottish Government really recognise the benefits of the therapy and how it can also save a huge amount of money to the NHS,” she said.

She explained the Scottish Government was aware that clinicians in Dundee were currently exploring the purchase of equipment and there were discussions are ongoing with NHS Scotland National Services Division about the development of a service.

Mrs Grant added: “Mary Ramsay asked me to make a plea to this committee to keep pushing for the technology to be available here. She says: ‘For me, and my part, if focussed ultrasound helps anyone to avoid what I went through, I will fight to my last breath to get it’. That is a measure of the petitioner to be honest. This is not going to benefit her, but she will not let up in making sure that nobody has to go through what she went through.”

The committee members, including Caithness, Sutherland and Ross MSP, Gail Ross, and North East MSP, Tom Mason, who has Parkinson’s, agreed they wanted to hear more about the treatment and backed keeping the petition open.

1. Mrs Ramsay (64) has Essential Tremor and has undergone Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), where electrodes are placed in her brain to help alleviate the condition.  Focus ultra sound is cheaper and less invasive. However, Mrs Ramsay would not benefit from focus ultrasound as it would be too risky to reverse DBS. Her condition causes involuntary and rhythmic shaking and can affect almost any part of the body.

1. Fundraising for the equipment is being run by the University of Dundee. The technology uses MRI imaging to guide high powered, focused ultrasound to a very small point. At that point, molecules are vibrated extremely quickly, which creates intense local heat which destroys the tissue. The technology allows clinicians to target a very specific focal point – with very little heating produced in front of and behind that point, so only the targeted tissue is affected.

Essential tremor [ET] has no known cause. It is most common in the elderly but two-thirds in a recent survey developed symptoms of ET before the age of 50. ET affects both sexes and all ethnic groups and children.

People with ET may be so embarrassed by their tremor that they do not leave their home and become depressed. This embarrassment may impact on jobs and income. As many as 25% of patients are forced to retire prematurely, and in one study 60% said they had chosen not to apply for a job or promotion because of uncontrollable shaking. In a recent UK survey by the National Tremor Foundation, almost 20% of respondents had to stop working completely, 7% had to change occupation, and 6% had to reduce their working hours. In that survey, 12% said that they did not go out to socialise, 31% did so rarely, and 45% did go out but felt self-conscious. Only 12% said that their tremor did not significantly impact their social life. 18% of respondents felt that they were a burden on their family, 21% reported a severe impact on their mental health, 26% reported poor self-esteem, and 15% considered that ET had negatively affected their physical fitness. If the tremor becomes severe, the patient even may become unable to feed or toilet independently and require residential care or a carer at home.

At present, the only non-pharmacological treatment for severe tremor that is having an unacceptable effect on someone’s quality of life is deep brain stimulation (DBS): as DBS is invasive surgery in which wires are permanently inserted into the brain, some people are not suitable for it because of other diseases (comorbidities) and some do not feel able to consent to a procedure which involves permanent implants and lifelong supervision.

Celebrating the 8,614 potential lifesavers in the Highlands and Islands this Blood Cancer Awareness Month

 

To mark Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September, Rhoda Grant MSP took part in a digital ‘Day of Action’ to celebrate the number of potential stem cell donors in the Highlands and Islands on the Anthony Nolan register and raise awareness of the urgent need for more donors in light of the challenges to donor recruitment presented by the pandemic.

 

This day was marked by Anthony Nolan on Wednesday 9 September, as part of its Communities vs Blood Cancer campaign, which shines a spotlight on vital work being done locally to ensure that every patient in need of a stem cell transplant can find a lifesaving donor.

 

Anthony Nolan’s lifesaving work has been greatly enhanced at a local level by the charity’s eleven-year partnership with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, who undertake vital work in schools through the SFRS Education Programme.

 

In the Highlands and Islands, 8,614 potential stem cell donors are registered with Anthony Nolan. 23% of these donors are men aged 16-30, and the average age is 32.

 

In total, more than 800,000 people in the UK are on the Anthony Nolan register, any of whom could be a match for someone with blood cancer and asked to donate their stem cells to give a patient a second chance of life.

 

Now, Rhoda Grant is encouraging more people from the Highlands and Islands, particularly men aged 16-30 and people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, to register as stem cell donors and make sure that a match is available for everyone in need of a transplant. While anyone on the register could be a match for someone with blood cancer, men aged 16-30 are most likely to be asked to donate. They provide more than 50% of donations yet make up just 18% of the register. There is also a shortage of donors from non-white and mixed-race backgrounds.

 

Rhoda Grant MSP said: “I am very proud that the Highlands and Islands has 8,614 registered donors, any one of whom could offer the only chance of giving someone with blood cancer a second chance at life. Donating stem cells is straightforward but it could make an enormous difference to someone with no other chance of a cure.”

 

Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “In the last year 977 selfless Scots from the Highlands and Islands joined the Anthony Nolan register, each one representing hope for patients with blood cancer, and blood disorders, in need of matching stem cell donors.

 

“This Blood Cancer Awareness Month residents can be proud of all the lifesavers in your community. To everyone from the Highlands and Islands who has taken the decision to join the register, thank you. It is vital we recruit more ethnically-diverse, young, male, donors to ensure everyone who needs a transplant can access one. Without you, there is no cure.”

 

For more information on Anthony Nolan visit anthonynolan.org/join.

 

Anthony Nolan uses its register to match potential stem cell donors to blood cancer patients in desperate need of a stem cell transplant. It also carries out vital research to make stem cell transplants more successful, and supports patients through their transplant journeys.

 

 

A Scottish Parliament committee will hear more submissions this Thursday (September 10) on an Inverness campaigner’s petition supporting the introduction of a focus ultra sound scanner to Scotland to treat people with Essential Tremor.

Mary Ramsay, from Dalneigh, Chair of the Scottish Tremor Society, is asking the Scottish Government to back the provision of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) technology.

Mrs Ramsay’s petition will be heard at the Public Petitions Committee and she is backed by Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, who has been a long-time supporter of the cause.

Previously the Public Petitions Committee agreed that the treatment had benefits and went back to the Scottish Government to ask why a decision has stalled, what was needed to achieve the introduction of the treatment and what the timescales were.

Mrs Ramsay (64), who has Essential Tremor, said: “I am really pinning my hopes that at last there will be movement on this by the Government.

“The effects of Essential Tremor can have a serious impact on a person’s life, with lack of understanding and awareness of the condition leading to ineffective treatment but also bullying. I want to prevent any child or adult going through verbal and physical abuse like I did.

“It is estimated that there could be 4000 people in Scotland with Essential Tremor. The main treatment at the moment is brain surgery or deep brain stimulation (DBS) which some people with the condition do not want to endure and DBS is expensive. The focus scanner is cheaper and is also a much less invasive procedure.”

Mrs Ramsay, who will be watching the committee virtually from her home, has had DBS. Her condition causes involuntary and rhythmic shaking and can affect almost any part of the body. She would not benefit from the ultra sound treatment but is passionate that others could.

Mrs Grant added: “At a time when the NHS is under severe pressure, I really believe that this innovation, which is already up and running in England, would not only save money in the long term but would really improve the quality of life for thousands of people.

“Mary has been a fantastic campaigner and has never given up and it would be a great day for her if she achieved her aim to help others.”

The MSP achieved cross-party support for a Scottish Parliament debate on Mary’s campaign in 2018.

• Fundraising for the scanner is being run by the University of Dundee. The technology uses MRI imaging to guide high powered, focused ultrasound to a very small point. At that point, molecules are vibrated extremely quickly, which creates intense local heat which destroys the tissue. The technology allows clinicians to target a very specific focal point – with very little heating produced in front of and behind that point, so only the targeted tissue is affected.
• Essential tremor [ET] has no known cause. It is most common in the elderly but two-thirds in a recent survey developed symptoms of ET before the age of 50. ET affects both sexes and all ethnic groups and children.
• People with ET may be so embarrassed by their tremor that they do not leave their home and become depressed. This embarrassment may impact on jobs and income. As many as 25% of patients are forced to retire prematurely, and in one study 60% said they had chosen not to apply for a job or promotion because of uncontrollable shaking. In a recent UK survey by the National Tremor Foundation, almost 20% of respondents had to stop working completely, 7% had to change occupation, and 6% had to reduce their working hours. In that survey, 12% said that they did not go out to socialise, 31% did so rarely, and 45% did go out but felt self-conscious. Only 12% said that their tremor did not significantly impact their social life. 18% of respondents felt that they were a burden on their family, 21% reported a severe impact on their mental health, 26% reported poor self-esteem, and 15% considered that ET had negatively affected their physical fitness. If the tremor becomes severe, the patient even may become unable to feed or toilet independently and require residential care or a carer at home.
• At present, the only non-pharmacological treatment for severe tremor that is having an unacceptable effect on someone’s quality of life is deep brain stimulation (DBS): as DBS is invasive surgery in which wires are permanently inserted into the brain, some people are not suitable for it because of other diseases (comorbidities) and some do not feel able to consent to a procedure which involves permanent implants and lifelong supervision.

 

 

 

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has welcomed the commencement of a safety study on the A9 trunk road between North Kessock and Tore on the Black Isle.

The MSP has been calling for improvements at the Munlochy junction on this stretch of road since she was contacted by constituents who use the road regularly.

Mrs Grant said “Constituents contacted me with suggestions on how to make the junction safer and I have fed these in to the Transport Secretary and to Transport Scotland.

“I know the level of concern there is locally about having to cross the busy A9 dual carriageway to either enter or leave the Munlochy junction when travelling north and I am arranging to speak directly with the consultants who have been appointed to carry out the study of the area.

“I am pleased to see this next step taking place and I very much hope further safety measures will be introduced as a result.” she continued.

 

Regional Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has said the announcement that Home Farm Care Home on Skye is being taken over by NHS Highland is “extremely welcome”.

Home Farm had been under NHS supervision since May, after the home suffered a severe COVID-19 outbreak in which 10 residents died.

The facility had been operated by the private care provider HC-One.

The NHS stepped in to manage the home  when a court action brought by the Care Inspectorate saw the provider’s license for the site temporarily revoked.

It came after an unannounced inspection triggered by the COVID outbreak found “serious concerns” about care standards.

The legal action was dropped in August after the Inspectorate found “significant improvement” had been made.

Mrs Grant said it was good to know the care home had a secure future.

However, she has voiced concerns over the “secrecy that surrounds what happened” there.

She said: “There are probably many more care homes which need to be taken into public hands but what’s worrying me is all the secrecy that surrounds what happened in that home. The public needs to know if we are going to be able to move forward to protect our care homes in the future.”

Mrs Grant has requested a formal review of the Care Inspectorate’s decision to refuse to provide her with information she previously requested.

She said her repeated attempts to see the reports that the Care Inspection lodged with Inverness Sheriff Court when it dropped its court case against the care home owners HC-One were turned down on the basis they were not ready for publication.

Three reports have, however, been published today on the Care Inspectorate website.

But Mrs Grant said the delay was unacceptable and questions remain to be answered.

“The Care Inspectorate had previously informed me that these reports were not ready for publication which seems extraordinary since they should have provided some of the key evidence submitted to the Sheriff Court. While I am delighted they have now been published, serious questions that remain to be answered about whether they have been subsequently altered for public consumption. It might be that neither the Care Inspectorate, who had failed to check on Home Farm despite knowing there were serious infection control issues in January, nor the provider HC-One, had wanted their dirty washing aired to be in court. But if we are to prevent further tragic and unnecessary care home deaths in future, we need to know what went wrong.”

The MSP said she had been raising multiple questions around the matter for months.

She added: “My request for a breakdown of the costs of NHS Highland’s take-over project since March was turned down under Freedom of Information but I have appealed this decision. I want to know whether HC-One is being asked to foot any of this bill.

“I also asked the Scottish Government’s health secretary Jeane Freeman whether checks had revealed the source of the Home Farm Covid outbreak. I wanted to know whether it had been transmitted by infected patients who were transferred into the home from Raigmore Hospital. But Mrs Freeman said this information is not known.

“This, again, beggar’s belief. What we need now are dates of all admissions to Home Farm from hospital. We need to know whether those older people had been tested or not and we need to know the date Home Farm first reported Covid cases to the care inspectorate and those are questions I am asking.”

Ends.

Transport Scotland has written to Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant saying that there will now be a delay in putting up new speed limit signs on the A9 Tain bypass.

“While this is frustrating for all those campaigners who welcomed the new 50mph limit on this stretch, I can understand why Covid-19 has had an effect on ordering the signs,” said Mrs Grant.

“However, it’s good to know the groundwork is taking place to speed up the process when the signs arrive.

“I would just like to emphasise that before the new speed limit was brought in, there were consultations with the community council, the police and local authority.

“Transport Scotland has confirmed a further investigation into long-term options for the Lidl and Asda junctions are progressing and will also consider the community’s idea of roundabouts at this location.”

 

Transport Scotland said: “Further to our letter of 30 July, we have been advised by BEAR Scotland that their specialist supplier of traffic signs is currently managing a backlog of orders as a result of Covid-19 related factory closures and demand for signage for new active travel projects. As a result, the installation of speed limit signs on the A9 Tain Bypass has been delayed by approximately four to six weeks, based on timescales quoted by BEAR Scotland’s suppliers. To mitigate against these delays, BEAR Scotland commenced construction of sign foundations and posts on Friday 28 August, in advance of delivery of the signs, allowing installation to be expedited once these are received.

We have reinforced the importance of these works at Tain to both BEAR Scotland and their sign suppliers and have been assured that the new speed limit signage will be in place as soon as possible.”

 

 

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has discovered that in some remote areas of the region home-testing kits for Covid-19 are unviable due to the amount of time taken to get them to the laboratory.

Moreover, there is a question mark over what is happening to mobile testing units in Highland locations after the end of August.

Mrs Grant took up the case of a constituent concerned about an elderly neighbour who had taken a Covid 19 test and then been at a loss as to how to get it to a testing centre.

Despite contacting NHS Highland and a local testing centre as a matter of urgency, the test was not picked up until 72 hours after it had been completed – making it highly unlikely to provide an accurate result.

Mrs Grant dug further into the issue and has now had a worrying reply from Health Secretary, Jeane Freeman.

“I’ve been told that not only are home-testing kits useless in some areas of my patch but also that mobile testing units across the Highland mainland will be available to book online until the end of August,” said Mrs Grant.

“This begs the question as to what happens at the end of this month for those needing a test, especially as home-testing might be ruled out for many.

“The Health Secretary has made the UK Government and NHS Highland aware of the problem asking them to sort it out, but I’ve gone back to her asking if the Scottish Government has the cast iron assurance that everyone who is symptomatic can access tests quickly and without difficulty.

“It’s yet another example of our region being at a disadvantage and of the centralisation of so many services. We need more support for the Highlands and Islands and it should not be left to struggle to access testing facilities.”

Mrs Grant has also written again to Ms Freeman asking what happens to mobile testing units after the end of this month.

Ms Freeman said in her letter: “I am aware that in some remote areas, home testing kits are not available because of difficulties with the delivery of the kits in a timely manner. The key challenge for reaching certain areas is the high potential for sample degradation during longer courier timescales from Royal Mail pick-ups to arriving at the laboratory.

“The UK Government have a Regional Testing Centre in Inverness and Mobile Testing Units have also been deployed to increase access to testing and to support priority areas, in particular, in care homes and where the need is greatest. The current locations of the Mobile Testing Units are in Oban, Dornoch, Fort William, Ullapool, Kingussie, Thurso, Portree, Campbelltown and Lochgilphead. These are available on the online booking portal until the end of August.

“My officials have raised the matters contained in your letter directly with NHS Highland and the UK Government to make them aware of the issues encountered here, and to ask them to liaise at local level to put in hand the necessary improvements to their respective existing processes. I am very clear that we must ensure that all individuals in Highland who are symptomatic can access tests quickly and without difficulty.”

Mrs Grant first raised the issue at First Minister Questions on 17th June. Mrs Grant then stressed that it shouldn’t be a postcode lottery as to whether you get a successful Covid 19 test or not.

 

The Highlands and Islands and Moray region could face a long-term arts and entertainment unemployment crisis if SNP ministers do not step up the fight for jobs, Scottish Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has said.

 

Mrs Grant spoke out as the Highlands and Islands and Moray, as well as Scotland as a whole, continue to be hit hard by the cancellation of festivals, concerts and other major cultural events. She warned that if the furlough scheme ends before a quality jobs guarantee scheme is in place, thousands of workers in creative industries could be laid off.

 

Scottish Labour has calculated that the arts and entertainment sector employs at least 121,000 people across Scotland, including 11,000 in the Highlands and Islands and Moray. There are many seasonal jobs in the sector additionally.

 

Mrs Grant, who represents the Highlands and Islands, said: “We’ve all mourned the loss of festivals such as Belladrum, as well as Heb Celt, Shetland Folk Festival, Tiree Music Festival and numerous concerts and gigs across the region. Up Helly Aa has even been cancelled for 2021.

 

“Many musicians based in our region will have lost contracts and gigs across the UK and the globe and find themselves in a precarious position with very little work if any coming in. I know some musicians have tried to take advantage of social media but there is a limit to how that works without a live audience which then has a spin-off for the local economy. It is a serious situation.”

 

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “Many workers in the arts and entertainment sector have been furloughed, but if there are not government-supported jobs created in the sector when the furlough scheme ends, many could face the prospect of long-term unemployment.

 

“The UK and Scottish Governments have announced a significant package of support for the arts, including specific funds for grassroots music venues, museums and galleries, theatres, and live events. These have all been offered much-needed support. But we need a clear strategy to create jobs in this sector – not a piecemeal approach which pits different parts of the sector against each other.

 

“This is about more than funding the sector to get through a crisis. Our creative industries can help us reboot society and build a better Highland region after the pandemic. With so many workers employed in the sector, The Highlands and Islands and Moray economy depends on arts and entertainment jobs, and the arts and entertainment sector needs jobs for good.”

 

Constituents have contacted Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, about the influx of campervans and wild/dirty camping in the region.
Together with her Highlands and Islands MSP colleague David Stewart, she has received concern about the distress caused in some communities regarding litter and other waste being discarded at pinch points along Highlands and Islands routes, such as the NC500 and on the Western Isles.
“While there are benefits to the marketing of routes such as the NC500 and other beautiful parts of our region, the effect of Covid-19 has highlighted the definite lack of Scottish Government infrastructure to support an influx of tourists especially in peak season,” said Mrs Grant.
“I predict that next year many people will be taking staycations instead of going abroad and so it is vital that the Scottish Government looks at this as a priority.
“It is distressing to see our beautiful countryside spoiled by a minority, so more effort must go into supporting and expanding infrastructure which it is hoped will take the pressure off small, vulnerable communities.
“We should welcome visitors to boost our tourism economy every year, but we have to balance that with the right of communities to let their voices be heard when there are local problems.
“David has raised this issue in Parliament, and I have now written to Rural Economy and Tourism Secretary, Fergus Ewing, highlighting constituents’ complaints and asking what action the Scottish Government is going to take to tackle the problem.