Chamber and committees

Does Mhairi Templeton have anything to add?

Okay. Does Julie Mosgrove want to come in on the issue of multidisciplinary teams?

We have been talking about sustaining the MDTs and the wider infrastructure challenges in that respect and, in the inquiry, we have been hearing quite a lot about the specific issue of housing. Previous panels have given us some examples. When nurses on the Isle of Bute were doing their training, workarounds were found with hotels or colleagues providing digs, such as spare rooms; obviously, though, that is not a long-term solution, and it is not likely to attract qualified professionals.

Iain Kennedy, I notice that you were previously with NHS Highland. Are the health board and the local authority having conversations about what a whole-system fix might look like? Are there examples of more sustainable solutions to the issue of housing? I know that the college on the Isle of Skye provided land to a housing association, which shows that the shortage of housing affects not just medical staff but everyone across the board. If discussions have been had on housing, have there been any ideas for solutions?

Yes, but are there solutions to them? Do health boards have a part to play in getting to those solutions?

Good morning, everybody. I want to ask about multidisciplinary teams. I will go to Dawn MacDonald first.

The role of multidisciplinary teams will be different in remote, rural and island communities. Let us look at Highland as an area. Dawn MacDonald talked about the Isle of Bute. That is closer to me in Ayrshire than it is to Inverness, where her health board is. There will be different needs there. Can you speak about the different teams and give us a flavour of that?

Is that way of working happening anywhere?

I am aware of the time, but you just mentioned a pilot. A bit of a theme seems to be emerging of pilots and projects providing what should be core services, but instead they are being treated as extras. How do we get around that?

Nicola, would you like to come in on that palliative care question?

Thank you, convener. I have a quick supplementary to Ivan McKee’s question. Michael Dickson twice mentioned Shetland and innovation. What is it about Shetland that has enabled it to innovate in the way that you have described?

Can I just check with you, is there one health board and one health and social care partnership?