Chamber and committees

I thank all the witnesses. There is so much that we could pick up on.

Because of the time, I will just pick up on the notion that we need to go from talk to action. That is very clear—we need to get things done. Are there good examples that we should be looking at in other countries? We know that the evidence is there; it is clear what we need to do. Are there good examples of countries that have taken action and are starting to see outcomes? That question is for David or Kim.

I am interested to hear your view on the digital strategy. You have stated that you look at the strategy in terms of data and what you call IT solutions. Do you think that that is the best way of making progress in that regard?

My second question concerns the difference between the strategic-level thinking in Public Health Scotland and the thinking at the local level, which is driven more by a business-as-usual approach than by consideration of the initiatives and changes that could be put in place in order to benefit public health in general. How can we move that forward?

My question is about rights for care home residents. We know what happened during the pandemic. Does the minister feel that the opening up of care homes to visitors provides adequate access for family and friends to ensure the wellbeing and health of residents?

The minister briefly mentioned CAMHS, which is very important for young people and their families. We know that waiting times have been quite long. I wonder whether you can give us some information on three aspects relating to CAMHS. The first is waiting times, which you have touched on. We need to get it right for people by getting waiting times down.

Secondly, there are a number of rejected referrals to CAMHS. The Government has acknowledged that and has said that more work needs to be done. What can be done for those young people?

The third aspect relates to unmet need. We know that when schools were closed because of Covid there was a drop in the number of referrals to CAMHS. Medical staff have identified that young people might have missed a window, so we should ensure that they get any support that they need at this time.

I want to ask a wee bit more about unmet need. Do you have a plan? Have you spoken to any organisations about what we might do to identify young people who have been missed?

I have heard numerous reports that, although good school facilities are available, it is difficult for communities to access them. Have you or do you intend to look at how communities can access the excellent facilities that are already there?

I want to pick up on the minister’s point that the situation with inequality has not improved in 14 years, and may have got worse. It is important to acknowledge the root causes of inequality and to focus on those. We have opportunities to tackle those causes in this session of Parliament. We could use carers allowance or increase the wages of low-paid workers. We could have had a right to food bill. Those things have not happened. Does the Government acknowledge that the root causes of inequality must be tackled if we want to change health inequality? How will the Government work across portfolios to change things?

Clearly there is a major problem with the UK Government’s treatment of welfare and other benefits. Do you commit to feeding back to the committee just how far the Scottish Government is prepared to go with mitigation and in ensuring that we in the Scottish Parliament do everything that we can in this respect? As we have heard from other experts in these evidence-taking sessions, the key thing that we in Scotland can do is to change inequalities, and that in itself will help us develop Scotland further and use our budget in the best way.

My question is directed to John Mooney of Unison. I absolutely care about what is happening in the social care sector, and in particular to the workers in that sector. If there was one thing that we could push the Scottish Government to do now, what would you suggest that it be?

That is helpful. Thank you.