Rhoda Grant MSP : H and I unemployment amongst 18-24 year olds almost doubles in 4 years. 10/11/2011

Number of anti-depressants prescribed rises by a quarter in three years in Orkney

4 October 2011

Rhoda Grant MSP, Labour’s spokesperson on health in the Highlands and Islands, has released new official figures showing that the number of items of anti-depressants prescribed in the NHS Orkney area has risen by a quarter to almost 15,000 in the past three years.

And since the early 1990s, the number of items of anti-depressants prescribed has increased by almost three-fold.

The latest figures from the Scottish Government database, ISD Scotland, reveal that in 2007-08 the number of items prescribed was 11,928 in the NHS Orkney area

By 2010-11 this had surged to 14,923

And as far back as 1993-94, the number of anti-depressant items prescribed was 5,301.

Consumption of anti-depressants, (as measured by the Defined Daily Dose,(DDD) per 1,000 per population per day ) has increased since 2007/08 from 73.2 to 91.1 in 2010/11

Ms Grant said,

"This continuing rise is very worrying.

"There needs to be greater availability of cognitive therapies to provide alternatives to medication which can also provides longer term benefits.

"Before the 2007 election, the SNP said that they intended to reduce the use of anti-depressants by 10 per cent by 2009.

"They have quite plainly failed to do this, as the figures indicate, and now seem to have abandoned this promise."

16 September 2011

Highlands & Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has revealed new official figures showing that the number of nursing and midwifery posts in NHS Orkney is now 23 fewer than in 2007, the year the present SNP Government took office and it is set to fall further.

Figures from ISD Scotland, the Scottish NHS database, indicate that in September 2007 , the number of nursing and midwifery posts in NHS Orkney was 198.1 whole time equivalents (wte) .

But by June of this year, the number had fallen to 174.3 wte , a drop of over 23 posts.

NHS Orkney themselves predict that the number will decline even further by March of next year to 168.7 wte a loss of over 6 posts over the present financial year.

Ms Grant said "Alex Salmond’s pre-election promise to ‘protect the health service for the duration of the next parliament’ has been broken within just 4 months of polling stations closing.

The forecast reduction of 29 nursing and midwifery posts in NHS Orkney by next March since the SNP took office is perturbing news for both patients and staff.

Dedicated, overburdened staff should not be expected to work more with less resources to provide help for more people.

Frontline services at NHS Orkney simply cannot meet the growth in demand for services while nursing and midwifery posts are being lost."

Rhoda Grant Hits Out over Rural Broadband Funding
2 September 2011

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has hit out at both the Westminster and Scottish governments over rural broadband funding.

Mrs Grant responded to a statement made by BT that island communities could miss out on improved broadband unless the Scottish Government steps in.

She said "It is sadly no surprise to hear of BT’s statement this week. Highlands and Islands Labour has been pressing this Scottish Government since it came to power in 2007 to invest in rural broadband provision."

Mrs Grant continued, "Industry is prepared to invest but they cannot do this alone. The Scottish Government needs to invest now to ensure that Scotland’s rural communities are not further disadvantaged in the digital divide.

"The Westminster government is releasing funds for rural broadband in Scotland but our own government in Holyrood, despite their constant rhetoric of wanting to improve broadband services, has so far failed to come up with the goods.

"They made noises recently about playing their part through direct investment of Scottish Government funding.

" I have asked how much will be invested and when and wait to receive a response on this."

Mrs Grant later expressed immense disappointment when she was advised by Westminster that £300 million of £830 million promised by the UK government for supporting broadband would not be released until 2015.

"Of even greater disappointment however is the fact that the letter from Westminster suggests that the Scottish Government is not engaging properly with BDUK (the Westminster department tasked with rolling out broadband) over Scotland’s £68m share of the Westminster funding.

Mrs Grant said: "This compounds the fears BT expressed yesterday that island communities could lose out unless the Scottish Government steps in and addresses this problem.

"This Scottish Government needs to step up to the plate – it needs to engage, fund and give broadband the priority it requires and I will be calling on them, yet again, to do so."

1 September 2011

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, David Stewart, is supporting three islands councils (Shetland Islands Council, Orkney Islands Council and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) in their bid to have the Air Discount Scheme (ADS) re-instated for islands businesses and voluntary organisations.

The Scottish Government has restricted the ADS scheme to private travel only, a move which the councils believe could be "potentially ruinous".

Mr Stewart said,

"I met with Josie Simpson, the Leader of Shetland Islands Council, earlier this week and undertook to support their campaign and raise the matter with government.

"It is most disappointing that this decision has been taken particularly as the Scottish Government acknowledged the popularity of the scheme in September last year.

"I understand the withdrawal of this benefit to our islands communities is estimated to save the Scottish Government £2.7m per year.

"These savings however are meagre in comparison to the social and economic benefits our islands communities gain from the scheme."

Mr Stewart continued,

"The inadequacies of present broadband facilities on the islands makes it impossible for many island businesses and voluntary organisations to access video conferencing facilities to communicate with colleagues on the mainland.

"It is essential therefore that these organisations are given as much help as possible in this current financial climate to keep abreast of developments in their chosen fields.

"I wholeheartedly support the campaign being led by Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles Councils to have this element of the ADS re-instated and I have called on the government to reverse this decision as a matter of urgency."

MSP presses Westminste​r and Scottish Government to commit more rural broadband funding 18/08/2011