Responding to a speech from Andrew Buist, Chair of the BMA Scotland’s GP Committee, voicing his concerns over the serious long-term damage that Brexit is set to inflict on health and social care systems across the UK, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today called on the government to endorse “humane proposals” to establish heroin assisted treatment clinics, as new statistics reveal the volume of heroin seized by Police Scotland in 2017-18 had doubled from the previous year and the number of ecstasy-type tablets seized had tripled.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today warned long waits for treatment are preventing people getting on with their lives after new statistics showed 400 patients waited more than six months to get help for chronic pain treatment.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today warned that the Health Secretary must oversee a drastic improvement in governance and conditions at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after an inspection by Healthcare Improvement Scotland highlighted a series of serious safety and cleanliness issues.

Commenting on new research into begging in Edinburgh, published by the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership along with charity Shelter Scotland, Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

Responding to the news that 638 operations were cancelled in January for capacity or non-clinical reasons, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP commented:

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today called for an exit from Brexit and an end to the threat it poses to the care sector, as new statistics showed a 20% month-on-month increase in the number of patients stuck in hospital for health and social care reasons.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today demanded new measures to end the mental health waiting times crisis, after new analysis showed thousands of adults and children waiting over 12 months for treatment.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today criticised the Scottish Government’s failure to produce a “complete, credible workforce plan” as new statistics show vacancies across the NHS are “off the chart”.

Responding to the findings of a new study by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health that says the profession “is on the brink of a recruitment crisis”, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: