Seòmar agus comataidhean

I understand that the groups who are no longer eligible for Covid vaccination—namely, those aged 65 to 74, those in wider clinical at-risk groups and front-line health and social care workers—might be feeling anxious. To them, I say that the overall threat of Covid has thankfully diminished over time as a result of high levels of vaccine-based immunity and naturally acquired immunity from the infection.

I remind Willie Rennie and other members that I have been working hard with those in the equivalent role to mine in the other three United Kingdom nations. Unfortunately, a number of the levers are held at Westminster, and Stephen Kinnock has not, to date, provided us with the support that we need to ensure that dental therapists are put back on the visa list. However, I point out that the latest national dental inspection programme results show that 81.5 per cent of primary 7 children have no obvious tooth decay, which represents a vast improvement since 2005.

I recognise the importance of ensuring that we support people and children, specifically those in the more deprived areas of Scotland.

Dumfries and Galloway has been impacted by a reduction in the number of dentists, and we are working closely with the health board. We have additional funding—Scottish dental access initiative allowances—to increase the number of dentists in various areas.

Eligibility for the Covid-19 vaccine is based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and is identical across the four United Kingdom nations this winter. JCVI advice is based on its standard cost-effectiveness analysis, which shows that the oldest in the population and individuals who are immunosuppressed are at the highest risk of serious Covid-19-related disease, hospitalisation and death.

The recent Public Health Scotland “Viral Respiratory Diseases in Scotland Surveillance Report”, covering the period from 10 November to 16 November, shows that

“COVID-19 activity decreased or remained stable overall”,

with 73 hospital admissions that week—a decrease from 81 in the previous week.

I am sure that Ms McCall will recognise that tooth extractions done under general anaesthetic fall under secondary care. I recognise that there are waiting time issues in that area, and my team and the chief dental officer are having in-depth conversations with health boards to try to relieve the waiting time pressure.

I hope Ms McCall will also recognise that the Scottish Government has invested more than £135 million in reducing waiting times. She might say that that is not enough, but it is noticeable investment to reduce waiting times.

I am sorry; I cannot take an intervention. I apologise and will be happy to speak to Jamie Greene afterwards.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is already taking forward a number of actions to improve waiting times, including the introduction of clinical pharmacists; recruitment of an additional psychologist; the introduction of nursing staff to improve waiting times; and engagement with primary care to pilot the increased use of shared care agreements.

The Scottish Government also continues to work with NHS Education for Scotland to ensure that the right training and development are in place across healthcare and with Public Health Scotland to further refine data collection. My officials and I are in discussion with health boards to explore how the additional funding can continue to support gender identity services, including working with health boards to establish appropriate treatment pathways through and between services and health board areas. There is also the collaboration that Paul McLennan spoke of and the support in home health boards that was mentioned by Mercedes Villalba. I know that health boards will have clearly heard this debate.

I am content to meet with members from across the chamber, as Monica Lennon suggested, to see how we can move further. I hope members realise how strongly I feel about the issue. [Interruption.] I am sorry; I am not taking any more interventions.

It is right that all health boards collaborate to ensure that their patients can access the dignified care they need, when they need it. Although waiting times for gender identity services may not yet be where I want them to be, I assure all members, Scottish Trans and everyone currently waiting for treatment at a gender identity clinic that we will continue working across organisational and geographical boundaries to build on the improvements that have been made to date and to deliver the caring and compassionate services that people deserve.

The Scottish Government desires a screening test that can improve outcomes for men with prostate cancer and for which the benefits clearly outweigh the harms. TRANSFORM is a vital step forward in making that a reality. It will test the efficacy of different screening methods, such as rapid MRI and DNA testing, in addition to the standard prostate-specific antigen—PSA—blood test. The trial is recruiting participants and is expected to provide its first results in about two years.

Crucially, Prostate Cancer UK designed the trial in collaboration with the United Kingdom National Screening Committee, which will ensure that its findings inform that committee’s review of prostate cancer screening. In Scotland, as in all nations of the UK, screening policy is underpinned by the UK NSC’s recommendations. We are monitoring the on-going review carefully.

I thank Alasdair Allan for raising that important meeting, which was held on 8 August. The aim of the event was to discuss how to better raise awareness and increase understanding of prostate cancer. We appreciated Sir Chris Hoy’s participation in that meeting. As a result of it, the chief medical officer will chair an expert short-life working group on prostate cancer, which will meet for the first time next month. The group will consider how to reach those who are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer and how we can take actions to improve diagnosis and care pathways in Scotland.

I recognise the work that Douglas Ross has been doing to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Yesterday, I was made aware that, in relation to prostate cancer, there are some areas of health where PSA tests are not being offered to men. It is important that they maintain that. I might get this quote slightly wrong, but Kenny Logan and Sir Chris Hoy have talked about the importance of people writing to their GP to request a test, so that that is on their records. If I have got that incorrect, I apologise, and I will correct the record.

I recognise absolutely everything that Rachael Hamilton said. Sir Chris Hoy’s sharing of his story—along with those shared by others, such as Kenny Logan—has made prostate cancer much more known in our male population. To add to that, there was a very good phone-in on the topic yesterday morning on BBC Radio Scotland.

As I said in my first answer, the Scottish Government will continue to be guided by the advice of the UK National Screening Committee on population-based screening. A clinically reviewed refresh of our Scottish referral guidelines for suspected cancer was published in August 2025. For the first time, those guidelines now incorporate advice on key groups that should consider speaking to their GP about PSA testing from the age of 45. Those groups include men with a family history of prostate cancer; black men, who are around three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men; and those who have a genetic predisposition to the condition, such as men who have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.