Recognising the Value of Community Link Workers

That the Parliament commends the work of Community Link Workers (CLWs) in the constituencies and regions that MSPs represent; acknowledges what it sees as the invaluable role of link workers in community resilience efforts, particularly in areas of high deprivation; notes that link workers based in GP surgeries and embedded in communities provide support, advocacy and signposting for vulnerable people who may be otherwise hard to reach; recognises that the programme enables local medical teams to provide holistic care that responds to patients' circumstances, which may transcend healthcare, including social and economic issues; understands that the number of CLWs in Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (GCHSCP) is set to be reduced from 69.8 to 42; considers that cuts of this nature will be felt most acutely by people in the most deprived populations in Glasgow, and other communities in Scotland if mirrored in other council areas; believes that a reduction in CLW numbers will place additional pressure on frontline GP services, which, it considers, are already strained; further believes that the uncertainty around funding will push CLWs out of the service and, with it, their knowledge of local networks and trust, which, it considers, will not be easily replaced, and notes the calls from GMB Scotland and Glasgow CLWs for the Scottish Government to provide a commitment as soon as possible to maintain the number of CLWs in Glasgow on a long-term basis, and to meet with the GCHSCP and GMB Scotland to discuss long-term funding options.