 The final item of business today is a member's business debate on motion number 9947, in the name of Liz Smith, on the centenary of Perth royal infirmary. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I would be grateful if those members who wish to speak in the debate could press the request to speak buttons as soon as possible. I call on Liz Smith to open the debate in seven minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I'm very grateful to you and to parliamentary colleagues for allowing me to secure this member's debate this evening, albeit a little later, than was possible for some people to attend. Long before I became an MSP in 2007, I became extremely aware of just how much Perth royal infirmary has such a special place in the hearts of many residents across Perthshire and Cynroshire, and rightly so. The staff who have worked and currently work at the hospital have provided first-class care, life-saving care in many cases to the local community over the past 100 years. 2014 is, of course, a big year for national commemorations, but it is important not to forget that there are many local commemorations and that they will be taking place in this particular instance on 10 July, which marks, as I say, the 100th anniversary of the opening of Perth royal infirmary. It is unquestionable that our public health services have come a very long way in the intervening hundred years. Life expectancy, for example, has increased from 49 and 45 years for men and women respectively at the turn of the last century to 80 and 76 for women and men today. Infernt mortality has fallen by over 100 per cent, and if in 1914 pneumonia influenza and tuberculosis were among the most common causes of death, they are now amongst the least common. Today, on the news, we hear about a quadruple amputee being accepted for a pioneering operation in Leeds to provide her with two new hands, and in the last few weeks two of our major Scottish universities have continued to make their outstanding contributions to the provision of groundbreaking cancer treatment. Of course, the first half of the 20th century also saw major improvements in access to and standards within the system of public health provision, some of which built upon the Education Act of 1908, providing compulsory medical inspection of school children. Major reasons for those significant improvements are due to the advances in medical science and technology and to better education, but also to the dedicated professionalism of our doctors and nurses and the vast numbers of support staff who do so much for our patients, and it is to them that we pay tribute this evening. For Pershire, the development of the national health service saw the Perth city and county infirmary completed in 1838 by city architect William MacDonald Mackenzie. The hospital saw multiple changes, but eventually proved far too small for the growing city of Perth's requirements. James Miller was then commissioned to design a new hospital and began work in 1912 on the Glasgow road site, two years later seeing the new Perth royal infirmary open its doors. Perth royal infirmary was opened by King George V and Queen Mary as part of their Scotland-wide tour. Accompanied by the troopers of the Scottish horse guards, the royal couple paraded along county place amidst a sea of local support. It was a time obviously when women did not have the franchise and there were considerable protests that day from leaflet-wielding suffragettes and reports state in some of the excellent archives held in the hospital that a startled king was confronted by some of the radical ladies who latched themselves onto the car and were unceremoniously dragged away. However, fortunately, those incidents did not spoil the day too much and Perth royal infirmary was opened as planned. The intervening hundred years have seen many changes and with health services increasingly become centralised as a result of the rationalisation of services at national level, there are significant challenges for PRI in terms of its future place in the community. As such, many residents across Pershar and Kinroshar and many of the staff within PRI have on an on-going basis expressed their concerns that removal of services such as the maternity ward, pediatrics, pathology and weekend surgery will perhaps have a detrimental effect on the future of Perth royal infirmary as an acute district general hospital. That is something that MSPs on all sides of the chamber have fought against. I hope that the centenary anniversary will not only celebrate the very distinguished past of the hospital but also reaffirm the commitments from NHS Tayside to ensure that Perth royal infirmary remains a fully equipped acute district general hospital and serve what is again a quickly growing population of Pershar and Kinroshar. It is very clear that Perth royal infirmary has been a very precious asset for the local community, providing not only many local jobs and high-quality healthcare throughout that 100-year history but it has also brought many people together. The centenary provides an opportunity to both thank and acknowledge the staff both past and present at PRI. The first-class medical care given to the patients from numerous communities and backgrounds is testament to their professionalism and their dedication. Deputy Presiding Officer, looking to the future, there are huge challenges in the realms of providing specialised healthcare which has to reflect the changing needs and changing social structures. Those challenges have been acutely felt at PRI and we know only too well that there are deep-seated concerns amongst the local community about what this could mean for the future of PRI, particularly in terms of the availability of certain health services and staffing levels. If the highly successful hands-off PRI campaign taught us anything, it was the very strong bond that there is between the hospital and the local community. I am sure that we are all clear in this chamber that nothing must happen to undermine the ability of PRI to provide what has always been a first-class hospital. I thank them for that service and I wish the hospital every success in the future. Many thanks. I now turn to the open debate. Speeches of around four minutes, please, and I call Annabelle Ewing to be followed by Fodillant. I thank you, Presiding Officer, and I would like to congratulate to Liz Smith on securing this debate this evening and giving us the opportunity to mark the centenary of Perthron Firmary. In so doing, I would of course wish at the outset to pay tribute to the care that doctors, nurses and all the other staff of the PRI have given to the people of Perth and Persia, indeed in their neighbouring CanRosher, down through the years. I would also wish to commend the volunteers who give up their time to make the lives of patients and visitors easier as they pass through the hospital. In fact, the PRI grew out of the Perth city and county in Cwmry, which was opened in 1838 and whose elegant main building now houses Perth's famous A.K. Bell library. Indeed, the records for the PRI show the way in which the cost of hospital building has increased over the years. In that regard, it may interest the chamber to note that, whilst the cost of land purchase and building the original hospital, which we now know as the A.K. Bell library, was a little over £6,812, the new Perthron Firmary was built in 1914 in Teimant Terrace and cost £36,000. That sum was largely secured from donations, subscriptions and fundraising. That figure can be contrasted with the development in 2006, when teaching hospital status was gained in conjunction with the University of Dundee, which opened a £5 million clinical research centre at the PRI, which research centre concentrates on chronic diseases such as asthma. I think that it is appropriate to note, Presiding Officer, in this year when we commemorate 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War, that further to the hospital being constructed on the Cornhill estate between the years of 1911 and 1914, it was pressed into use straight away as a war hospital during that conflict. There are many buildings and add-ons, as Liz Smith has said. We saw the maternity block added in 1926-27. We have seen major developments come in the 60s and new boards built into the hillside at the end of the 70s, with an extension to have accident and emergency facilities in the late 80s. We saw also the establishment of a cancer care centre in 2007. However, the PRI is close to people's hearts, not for any particular connection to any of those buildings, Presiding Officer, but rather in terms of what those buildings mean, as far as the local provision of healthcare to the citizens of Perth and Pershire and beyond is concerned. Indeed, when maternity services were under threat—I am sure that Liz Smith will remember that battle well—in the early years of the last decade, folk indeed took to the streets in great numbers as part of the community-led hands-off PRI campaign. Unfortunately, despite the wishes of the local community, and the best efforts of all those involved in the campaign—I see the local MSP John Swinney here tonight and he was very much involved in that campaign as well—as was I, because I was the local Westminster MP for Perth at the time. Despite all those efforts, consultant-led maternity services were still transferred to Ninewells in Dundee. However, there was a partial success in that, although there was a very real threat at one point that there would be no maternity services at all in Perth, the hands-off PRI campaign did secure a community maternity unit staffed by midwives. I would take this opportunity to pay tribute to the women who gave up so much of their personal time to spearhead that fantastic community campaign and also to the midwives and all the other NH staff for making sure that women could still give birth at PRI. In fact, the community maternity unit is now, as we speak, celebrating its 10th anniversary. I join in the congratulations to the outstanding team based there for their sterling service to women and families throughout Perthshire and Cynroshire. It has to be said that there was a period not so long ago when it seemed that the change in the way health services in Tayside were being provided meant that the flow of facilities was always away from Perth to Dundee, but a number of developments in recent years have reversed that trend. We have seen the cancer care centre re-established and we have also seen further to another long-standing campaign, a dialysis unit providing a satellite service from Ninewells hospital and enabling Perthshire kidney patients to get access to a treatment facility nearer to their homes. Of course, we must all monitor the situation and be quick to spot opportunities in the years ahead, but I would like to say in conclusion a very big thank you to everyone involved with PRI now and over the past 100 years for those of us who live in Perthshire. I speak as someone who has received both inpatient and outpatient treatment at PRI and the level of care on all occasions has been excellent. I hope therefore that the PRI continues to grow and develop and to serve the community for many more years to come. I want to congratulate Liz Smith on securing the debate on her motion calls for the centenary of the Perth royal infirmary to be marked. However, I am sure that there will be other local events that celebrate the centenary. The Perth royal infirmary is a district general hospital, embracing new practice and delivering care as close as possible to patients. It is also often the receiving hospital for accidents on the A9, a route that is widely used by many of my constituents. Therefore, the Perth royal infirmary provides those of us who live in the north with life-saving interventions as well. It provides traditional services, as well as housing new developments such as the Macmillan hospice, providing palliative care close to home, family and loved ones, something that is really crucial in someone's final days. District general hospitals have a pivotal role to play in providing other interventions such as dialysis and oncology, which were already mentioned. Those services need to be provided as locally as possible, and they can be provided safely in district general hospitals, meaning that patients do not have to travel long distances for those services. It allows patients to be closer to home, to their family and for those who need those interventions and are still able to work much less disruption to their lives and their working day. We need to move as many services as we can to those hospitals in order that patients are treated as locally, but as safely as possible. eHealth provides a tool to make that possible, making it possible to deliver really complex treatments such as chemotherapy locally and giving direct access to back-up from very highly skilled clinicians. I saw that myself in the open hospital recently where they provide chemotherapy, but they are in touch with the consultants down in Glasgow while they do that. If any problems arise during treatment, they have immediate back-up and can work with that. Those are the things that we can put out to district general hospitals that make a big difference. I pay tribute to the staff at the hospital who work hard to provide quality care. Like many in the NHS, they are struggling because of a decrease in staffing numbers and they are facing some of the most challenging times that our health service has ever known. Nurses, medical and hospital staff in the NHS tell me that they have never known the NHS to be struggling as much as it is today in the entirety of their careers. Indeed, we have had the chair of the BMA now adding his voice to those concerns. We in the Labour Party are asking for a review of the NHS, a beverage 21, to help us to deal with those challenges. I think that we owe it to all those who use and work in the NHS to have this review to make sure that we deal with those issues. We need to celebrate the Perth Royal Infirmary Centenary and also celebrate the contribution made by hospital staff to patient care in the area. We need to recognise and build on the vital role of our district general hospitals in bringing services closer to patients. I am happy to join with Liz Smith in celebrating the centenary. However, I think that I would also like to celebrate the actions of the suffragettes who use the opening of the hospital to bring to the fore the need for women's emancipation. I wonder what they would think of this debate tonight, where three women have spoken led by a woman, presided over by a woman. I think that there would be pretty chaff to know that their actions on that day had borne fruits. It is also very appropriate, because women are the backbone of the NHS, so it is very appropriate that they use the opening of the hospital to highlight the plight of women and their fight for equality. That was a fitting tribute to them. Thank you very much. The debate however will be responded to by a man. I call in Michael Matheson, minister. You have around seven minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I like others off for my congratulations to Liz Smith in securing time for this debate. I have listened with real interest to the contributions that have been made by members this evening. Perth, royal infirmary, is a key member of the NHS Tayside family. Our ambition as a Government is that it should continue to go from strength to strength and ensure that high-quality services and care are delivered for the people of Perth and the surrounding area. I want to take this opportunity in the course of this debate tonight, Presiding Officer, to pay tribute to the dedication and the professionalism of the staff, both past and present, who work day in and day out to deliver those vital healthcare services and meet the experience of their patients as good as they can be. It is quite right, given its 100-year anniversary for providing healthcare on the site, that we should mark that and celebrate it. There are a range of activities that Liz Smith made reference to planned activities at a local level, including a health fair, which I believe will include a special birthday cake, an exhibition of photographs and historical artefacts, a day of historical programming on Perth hospital radio, right through to a ceremonial relaying of the original royal plaque by the NHS chair, Sandy Watson, which will take place on 10 July. Members may also be interested to know that the hospital is getting its very own biography. Bill Leckie, Bruce Leckie, a member of the staff at NHS Tayside, who previously worked at PRI, has produced a book documenting the building and the royal opening. Mr Leckie, who kindly joins us tonight, has also indicated that any profits from the sale of the book will be donated to the PRI Endowment Fund. I would like to offer my thanks on behalf of the Scottish Government for undertaking this piece of work and for his generous donation to the Endowment Fund. In celebrating a very proud history that PRI has and the contribution that both its current and former staff have made, it is also important that we look ahead to the use of PRI and the provision of NHS services within NHS Tayside overall in providing 21st century healthcare to the local people. I am sure that all members will recognise the challenge presented by an increasing and an increasingly elderly population, and we are aware that this is particularly relevant in the Persia area. Members, some may be aware that the total population perth in Canros is projected to increase by 20 per cent between 2012 and 2033. That is over twice the national average of 8 per cent, but the population aged 65 in over is projected to increase by 52 per cent in the same period and those 75 in over by 75 per cent. That is precisely why we published our call to strategy and the 2020 vision. It is a complement of a company route map to ensure that the 2020 vision is taken forward at a local level, allowing individuals to live healthier lives within their own home or in a homely setting. Part of the work to deliver the 2020 vision is some of the exciting work that is being taken forward within the NHS Tayside area, including at PRI. There is the creation of the rapid assessment model of care for unscheduled medical patients admissions, which will enable a new model of care to meet the needs of the local population. The early work in this particular project has been developed through listening to staff and patients about what they felt would make a difference to the care environment within the hospital. That is included in leading to seven-day multi-professional team-working, timely patient discharge and an expansion of the role of volunteers. We all know that good quality healthcare is not just about new initiatives in themselves, it is also about times just doing the day job really well. In emergency care, Perthroy and Firmrae is part of a single system of emergency care that operates right across the Tayside region to ensure that patients requiring urgent care are seen at the right place, at the right time, by the right person. Tayside's performance in this area is amongst the best in Scotland, with more than 98 per cent of patients meeting the four-hour A&E standard every year since 2008-09. They are the only mainland board with such a consistent record in this area. NHS Tayside has more than half the size of its inpatient and its day-case waiting lists by treating patients faster. Numbers have gone from 7,264 patients waiting in March 2006 to 3,031 in March 2014. We now have just over 91 per cent of patients seen and treated within 18 weeks of first referral at March 2014, compared to only 86 per cent in the quarter-ending March 2007, despite a rise in the number of inpatient and day cases of over 5.9 per cent in 2012-13. 99 per cent of patients are waiting less than 12 weeks for the standard of first-out-patient consultation at 31 March 2014, compared to 87 back at the last quarter of March 2007. Those figures demonstrate the quality of the care that is being delivered within NHS Tayside, including the PRI, and that demonstrates the dedication of the staff there in helping to achieve that. There has also been significant capital investment made over recent years. My colleague Annabelle Ewing made reference to the palliative cancer unit perthroyal and firmy, which was a £6 million investment with Macmillan, which was completed in 2010, which has made a real difference. Of course, there has also been the £75 million investment into the new Murray Royal and Firmyry hospital in Perth, and the £23 million Rallon unit, which is a specialist unit for mental health issues. We recognise the important value that the PRI has played over the past 100 years. It is important that we celebrate and recognise that, but we also see it as an important setting for delivering high-class quality services going forward. As a Government, we are determined to make sure that that continues to be the case. That concludes Liz Smith's debate on the centenary of perthroyal and firmyry, and I now close this meeting of Parliament.