Improve Gynaecology, Fertility, Early Pregnancy and Maternity Care in Scotland
- 886 Signatures
The existing early pregnancy and maternity care system in Scotland, which removes pregnancy care from GPs and mandates self-referrals, is inadequate, resulting in delays, preventable pregnancy losses, and instances of medical negligence all damaging the lives of expectant mothers and families.
In my experience, there appears to be a significant issue with the level of communication between different services and across health board boundaries. There also seems to be a lack of appreciation or awareness within services about any potential risk factors that should require increased diligence when supporting expectant mothers.
Delays in understanding and addressing any risks can have devastating consequences for expectant mothers. I would like to see these delays minimised through a triaging system and an effective and reactive auditing process. There should also be a role for GPs in co-ordinating the initial provision of services.
Across Scotland, significant concerns have been raised about children displaying neurodevelopmental behaviours, emotional dysregulation, and other behaviours that place themselves or others at risk. These children often face lengthy delays or repeated referral rejections before receiving an assessment and support.
Families can be left managing serious situations while being told their child does not meet the threshold for intervention. As a result, many children only receive support once they have reached crisis point.
These delays place additional pressure on families, schools, GPs, emergency services, and local authorities, and can force parents to seek costly private assessments.
A guaranteed neurodevelopmental assessment within six months for children where significant behavioural, emotional, or safety-related concerns have been raised would ensure earlier identification of needs, faster access to support, and better outcomes for children and families across Scotland.
In December 2023, my daughter Lia Robertson was admitted to hospital aged just 3 months, with clear red flag symptoms including breathing difficulty and low oxygen levels. Blood tests showed a significantly raised lactate level – over three times the normal upper limit - a key marker for sepsis, but this result was attributed to poor sample quality and not repeated before she was discharged home.
Within hours, Lia deteriorated rapidly and was readmitted with septic shock. During emergency care, a needle slip led to the amputation of her leg; tragically, she never recovered and passed away.
Reviews confirmed this was a missed opportunity – repeating the test, adjusting for cold conditions or observing her longer would have led to earlier diagnosis and treatment. NHS say Lia may not have deteriorated as quickly, or suffered limb loss, had she remained in hospital. The health board has made changes, but there is no consistent national rule applying across all of Scotland.
This is not about removing clinical judgement from healthcare professionals. It is about ensuring that clinical judgement is supported by verified test results and creating a mandatory safety check, referred to as ‘Lia’s Law’ in memory of Lia Robertson, so that no other family suffers what we have endured.
Reduce MSP Salaries to the Median Scottish Full-time Income
- Final Signatures: 221
It became clear during the previous Parliamentary session that MSPs are detached from the lived experience of the nation, with their legislative agendas and priorities not matching the needs of the people of Scotland. As a former First Minister acknowledged, the overly generous pay causes a major perspective skew.
The £77,711 annual salary puts MSPs in the top 7% of UK earners, alongside those working in highly skilled professional jobs that require extensive formal qualifications and/or extensive practical experience. Yet, the MSP position requires neither qualifications nor work experience, has no binding workload, and comes with virtually no accountability, making such remuneration inappropriate.
The Scottish median full-time salary, corresponding to that of a band 5 NHS nurse, would seem more appropriate, and would make our MSPs invested in improving the living standard of the nation.
Capping the MSP salaries at the Scottish median would fund 129 band 5 NHS nurses.
I previously lodged petition PE2208 calling for mandatory collection and publication of child sexual offender data. The petition was closed as Police Scotland was working to align recording systems to capture nationality data for suspects; the issue of data collection is being considered in the work being done by the national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group; and the Scottish Government committed to establishing a public inquiry into Scotland’s response to group-led child sexual abuse and exploitation. Police Scotland indicated that it intended to capture data on nationality, but not religion, ethnicity or asylum status. It also indicated that it was not intending to flag gang-based abuse.
Police Scotland has subsequently advised me that it may take up to three years before it gathers data on nationality.
I believe Police Scotland not collecting, communicating or publishing this data reliably means that grooming gangs of predominantly Pakistani heritage (and others) are invisible in Scotland.
On 1 June 2026 there was a Westminster Hall debate on a petition on child sexual offender data. The petition gained significant public support.
I have lived with endometriosis for decades & undergone multiple treatments, including hormone therapies, suppression medications, HRT and surgery. Throughout this time, I have never been provided with meaningful national data showing long-term patient outcomes, recurrence rates, effectiveness, or adverse side effects associated with these treatments.
Patients are often expected to make major medical decisions without comprehensive evidence tracking how treatments and surgery affect quality of life over time. Many women undergo repeated medications or multiple surgeries, yet outcomes are not consistently recorded or analysed to improve future care.
This petition is not anti-treatment - it is pro-evidence, informed consent and patient safety. Scotland has an opportunity to lead by creating a national database to monitor outcomes from all endometriosis treatments, surgery and HRT to improve transparency, accountability and future care in Scotland.
Make Childcare Choice a Right in Scotland
- 713 Signatures
NDNA Scotland, parent campaigners and providers seek national action to make cross-border funded childcare a right. We believe not doing so undermines Funding Follows the Child, parental choice and provider neutrality.
Two local authorities, Edinburgh and West Lothian, have made decisions meaning children entitled to nationally funded childcare places who live outside the council area can only access places in council run nurseries, and cannot access private, voluntary, and independent nurseries. Removing parental choice has significantly impacted families. They have had to move children from trusted nurseries, separate siblings, change work patterns, and face extra costs. This means losing familiar relationships, routines and support at a crucial stage in children’s development. Around 100 families in West Lothian are affected, having chosen a nursery that met their child’s needs and family circumstances. These decisions show how council boundaries are limiting a national entitlement and risk a domino effect in other areas.
I am calling on the Scottish Government to tighten laws over parental access where the parent has been convicted of a child sexual or domestic abuse offence. The current legislative regime leaves the decision to the civil courts which can cause delay and distress and risk of immediate harm. The placing of an offender on the sex offenders register should mean automatic removal of parental rights. The rights and protections of children should come above the rights of the offender.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill in England and Wales aims to introduce stricter controls over the access of convicted sex offenders and domestic abusers have to their children. The Scottish Government should follow suit. If a person can be placed on the sex offenders register in the criminal court, it should also be possible to simultaneously remove parental rights preventing any immediate risk of harm only to be restored by application and approval in the civil courts.
AEDs are widely deployed across Scotland in public buildings, workplaces and community locations, playing a vital role in responding to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. More than 3,000 people suffer cardiac arrest in Scotland each year, yet survival remains low. Early defibrillation is critical, with survival chances falling significantly for every minute treatment is delayed.
The Circuit database, the UK-wide national defibrillator network developed by the British Heart Foundation in partnership with the NHS and emergency services, helps ambulance services direct 999 callers to the nearest registered AED. However, there is currently no legal requirement for AEDs to be registered, inspected or routinely maintained. Devices may therefore contain expired pads, depleted batteries or faults, rendering them unusable in an emergency.
In contrast, Scottish fire safety law mandates fire extinguisher maintenance, despite 42 fire-related deaths in 2023–24. This petition calls for similar legislation for AEDs to help save lives.
Protect Scotland’s volunteer-run community fairs and gala days
- 730 Signatures
Volunteer-run community fairs and gala days play an important role in bringing local communities together. However, organisers are increasingly concerned that rising costs, growing bureaucracy and complex licensing requirements are placing these events under significant pressure.
In areas such as Edinburgh, organisers report increasing financial and administrative demands associated with requirements from the local authorities, including market operator licences, public entertainment licences, park occupation charges, reinstatement bonds and extensive compliance documentation.
Organisers fully support appropriate public safety measures. However, there is growing concern that the current system lacks proportionality for volunteer-run community events organised for community benefit rather than commercial profit.
There are also concerns regarding inconsistent interpretation of licensing requirements, changing guidance and increasing unpaid workloads for volunteers.