Chamber and committees

Thank you. You are sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care and appointed by the secretary of state. In the proposed bill for Scotland, there will be a parliamentary commissioner who is independent of Government. What is your view on the pros and cons of each of those approaches?

My first question is for Richard Phillips. You talked about grown-up conversations and also mentioned the issues that women, in particular, have in raising problems with services and so on. Do you think that a patient safety commissioner will open up avenues for women to be heard and taken seriously?

I know that we are tight for time so I will ask Bill Wright this question, although I am sure that other members will have views on it as well. Do you think that people with lived experience should play a part in the recruitment process for the commissioner?

I have really got you started now!

Good morning, panel. Gillian Mackay asked a really good question, because it segues nicely into my question.

We have been speaking a lot about data and trends—we hear in evidence, no matter which committee meeting it is, that we need to be on top of that. That area is obviously key for the patient safety commissioner.

On Alison Cave’s last point about a plan for working strategically with the new patient safety commissioner, that will be key to making sure that the role works in practice and that we move forward. How are your organisations going to do that strategically? Do you see any barriers there?

Fraser Morton, I will follow up on a couple of your comments. Thank you for sharing your family’s experience—that was really powerful. I am interested in what you said about the powers that the commissioner would or would not have. If the commissioner had been in place at the time of your case, what would you have been looking for from them? What would have made you feel listened to and supported, and how might the commissioner have taken your case forward to your satisfaction?

Are you worried about the commissioner’s role overlapping with other governance bodies’ roles?

I am fine, convener. My question has been covered.

Written evidence has highlighted a cluttered scrutiny landscape for patient safety. Do you see the potential for the patient safety commissioner to add clarity? What would be required for them to do so?

Yes. Thanks, convener. I want to come in on a point that you raised and to which Geoff Ogle responded on supermarkets’ profits at this time. I read a really interesting article in the business pages of The Sunday Times recently that suggested that the profits had to be considered, because it was still felt that they were too high, even in the present circumstances with Brexit and Ukraine. What can we do? Earlier, you said that you were speaking to various retailers and others. What more can we as politicians do to get into that?