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The SNP recognises the impact that the Covid-19 outbreak had on people affected by Parkinson’s and is committed to ensuring that patients are able to access the care and support they need.  The SNP Scottish Government’s Neurological Care and Support in Scotland: A Framework for Action 2020 - 2025 sets out our vision for driving improvement in care and support for those with neurological conditions, including Parkinsons. The five-year plan adopted a co-ordinated approach with the Neurological Community to ensure people with lived experience and their families and carers are at the centre of the Framework’s creation, and the SNP Scottish Government will continue this engagement during implementation. To ensure our social care system consistently delivers high quality services across Scotland, if re-elected we will take forward the recommendations of…

The SNP have reaffirmed our commitment to invest £60m in renovating and upgrading play parks across the country to ensure that our very youngest children have the outdoor space to play, to build fitness and to be with their friends. Protecting our green spaces has never been more important as we face a climate emergency. Therefore, we will invest an additional £500million in our natural economy to help tackle the biodiversity crisis.  The SNP are absolutely determined that everyone in Scotland can benefit from investment in sport and physical activity. Our local parks and green spaces have been a crucial support to so many communities throughout the pandemic. Therefore, we will double investment in sport and active living by the end of the parliament, to £100m a year. Fiona Hyslop

So many people have played a part in getting us through the last year. We owe so much to our frontline staff and workers who have gone to work every day to deliver other lifeline services; and all those who have had to adapt to working from home, often home-schooling children at the same time.  Covid-19 changed the way we work almost overnight. As we recover from the pandemic, we want to do more to support people achieve a healthy work-life balance. We also want to keep the total number of people in employment high.  As part of this, we will establish a £10 million fund to allow companies to pilot and explore the benefits of a four day working week. We will use the learning from this to consider a…

The SNP want every child born and resident in Scotland to have the best start in life and is firmly committed to improving maternity and perinatal care across Scotland. The safe remobilisation of pregnancy, maternity and neonatal care and support services remain a key priority for the SNP Scottish Government and we have issued remobilisation guidance to health boards for maternity and neonatal services. If re-elected we will develop and implement a Women’s Health Plan aiming to improve care services and reduce health inequalities. The SNP will review midwifery and health visiting pathways for new families and babies, improve access to practical breastfeeding support, physical therapy advice, increase postpartum and mental wellbeing support, and ensure maternity departments have dedicated facilities for women who are experiencing unexpected pregnancy complications. If re-elected,…

The SNP will increase NHS Scotland funding by 20% in the next parliament. We will also increase social care funding by 25%, and investment in mental health services by 25%.  The SNP will create a National Care Service by the end of the next parliament, that will be of equal statutory status as NHS Scotland. This will enable the Scottish Government to improve conditions and pay throughout the sector, and recognise the vital importance of the care sector in Scotland.  The SNP will also build on the success of the community link worker programme, to ensure that every GP Practice in the country has access to a dedicated mental wellbeing link worker, creating a network of 1000 additional dedicated staff who can help grow community mental health and help direct…

The last year has been challenging for all of us, but the light at the end of the tunnel is now clear, and it is science that has gotten us to this point.  Our First Minister highlighted in November 2020 how science would be what unlocked Scotland and ended the pandemic, and the vaccine has started to enable just that.  If re-elected, the SNP will turn to science once again to unlock Scotland’s potential and drive a green, high tech revolution for Scotland. Scotland has historically been a nation of inventors that has led the world in a number of fields, and the SNP will ensure this reputation continues.  The SNP plan to use inward investment to create 20,000 jobs and grow the Scottish GDP by £4 billion. Included in…

The SNP recognise the need for vitamin D, that is why Scottish Government guidelines recommend that all Scots consider vitamin D supplements during winter months.  The Scottish Government’s guidelines also recommend the consumption of vitamin D supplements year round by groups at higher risk of Vitamin D deficiency, such as pregnant women, infants and children under 5, those who are housebound or cover their skin for cultural reasons, and those with darker skin.  Breastfeeding women and children under 12 months in Scotland can get vitamin D supplements containing their daily recommended amount.  During the pandemic, the SNP Scottish Government offered people on the shielding list a free four-month supply of vitamin D from December to March to support them through extended periods without access to as much sunlight. Over 71,000…

The SNP want a Scotland where everyone can benefit from investment in sport and physical activity.  Therefore, a re-elected SNP Government will double investment in sport and active living to £100 million by the end of this parliament to help Scotland get more active.  We will task SportScotland to work with organisations and individuals across Scotland to devise a new national activity plan. Its focus will be to break down the barriers, financial or otherwise, that keep too many people from leading active lives. A priority will be to support the participation of more women and girls.  We will review our investment in sport, including sponsorship, to ensure it benefits men and women equally and we will work with public broadcasters in Scotland to support them to significantly increase the…

Taxi drivers have played a crucial role in Scotland’s public transport system and I applaud their additional support during the Coronavirus pandemic in providing urgent transport for key workers. This is why the Scottish Government introduced a fund to support approximately 38,000 taxi and private hire drivers affected by the pandemic. We have also delayed the introduction of LEZs to support taxi drivers, and we are supporting the retrofit of emissions abatement measures to vehicles which do not currently meet LEZ emissions requirements. An additional local authority grant is also available, and drivers in Aberdeen, Angus and Dundee have already benefited from this additional support. If re-elected, the SNP will give taxi firms a £10,00 grant plus taxi drivers will receive a second grant of £1,500. We will continue to…

The SNP supports the SMSA and the incredible work it does in supporting men’s health and wellbeing.  In Government, the SNP delivered £100,000 for the Scottish Mens’ Sheds Association as part of a £6m fund to tackle social isolation and loneliness during the pandemic over the winter months.  If re-elected, we will increase the direct investment into mental health services by at least 25% and ensure that, by the end of the parliament, 10% of our frontline NHS budget will be invested in mental health, with 1% being for CAMHS. Furthermore, we will double suicide prevention spending as well as doubling the number of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training programme and SafeTalk programme trainers, by the end of the parliament. The SNP will always be a champion for our armed…