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I agree that we want to have the best 24-hour service that we can have, which is why we plan to invest an additional £16 million in thrombectomy services if the budget passes. We are working closely with stakeholders to understand why the current thrombectomy rates are lower than those that were predicted via modelling. We are also working with them to understand the needs in each area, because we must understand that it is not only about money, but also about the workforce.

We have invested £38 million to date in a national thrombectomy service. Most national health service boards, including NHS Fife, can now refer to thrombectomy hubs, increasing geographical access to thrombectomy. We are also funding thrombectomy specialist nurse posts in spoke hospitals with high rates of ischaemic stroke, including NHS Fife, to ensure that people who would benefit from thrombectomy are promptly identified. Work is on-going to establish how the £16 million that was announced in the Scottish budget, once it has been scrutinised by the Parliament, can be best used to maximise the number of patients who are able to benefit from thrombectomy.

Since 2017, the Scottish Government has been working with national health service boards to implement “The best start” plan to improve the quality and safety of maternity and neonatal services and to secure improved health and wellbeing for mothers and babies. “The best start” plan emphasises parents as key partners in caring for their baby and aims to keep mothers and babies together as much as possible, with services being designed around them.

Recommendations include providing accommodation; the young patients family fund; repatriating babies to their local neonatal units; and transitional care and neonatal community care. The plan also recommends that we move to three neonatal intensive care units, based on evidence that outcomes will be improved for the most pre-term and sickest babies.

Many essential items in the baby box are suitable for premature babies, and the Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a specialised baby box for premature babies.

I thank Mark Griffin for his follow-up question. I absolutely recognise the work that he did, along with the Government, to implement the young patients family fund, and I thank him for that work.

I am listening to what he is saying. There are certain items in the baby box that are suitable for premature babies, but we would be happy to meet with Mr Griffin to have a further conversation around the matter.

The Scottish Government has procured ample vaccines for the free national programme, which allows us to vaccinate the groups that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised on—notably, those who are aged 65 and over and those who are clinically at risk. I encourage those who are eligible and who have not been vaccinated to come forward before the programme ends, on 31 March.

The Scottish Government is not responsible for private flu vaccination services for groups who are outside the national programme, but our national supplier has confirmed that it has supplies of vaccine for the under-65 age group available for purchase. That has been communicated to Community Pharmacy Scotland.

I appreciate Stephen Kerr’s recognition that, as I noted, there are no shortages of stocks in Scotland. We asked NHS National Services Scotland to check and ensure that stocks were there.

I have had discussions with my officials about the decision in Northern Ireland, but the clear advice that I have had is to continue following the advice from the JCVI. From a clinical perspective, the best results come to those who are most in need, who are the cohorts I spoke about earlier, and particularly the over-65s.

I agree with Emma Harper that we should be promoting vaccinations. Over December and January, our partners have been heavily promoting flu vaccination to eligible groups. Health boards are offering a mixture of drop-in clinics, where there is no need to book, and bookable appointments, so that people have maximum ease of access.

Many citizens accessed flu vaccinations over the festive period, as boards expanded their clinic offerings to meet increased demand. Last week, boards delivered more than 16,000 flu vaccinations, compared with 7,400 in the equivalent week in January 2024.

Since 26 December, the First Minister has chaired a series of meetings with senior leaders across NHS Scotland to ensure not only that action was taken to make sure that people could easily access flu vaccines but that the system as a whole was working together in the face of significant pressures.

I thank Jackie Baillie for her question and recognise, as I think I said in answer to her almost two years ago, that we perhaps need different solutions for different areas. I live in Argyll and Bute and, in my area of NHS Highland, there is such flexibility. I am pleased to say that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has written to NHS Highland today and, if Jackie Baillie has any further questions about vaccine availability and location, officials would be happy to speak to her.

I refute entirely what Stephen Kerr just said. We have been listening to the experts—the JCVI—with regard to the appropriate cohorts to be vaccinated in Scotland. The information on eligibility criteria is routinely published on the Government website. The Scottish chief medical officer writes a letter, which is also published. The information is also published on NHS Inform, which is incredibly important.

My chief pharmaceutical officer and I meet Community Pharmacy Scotland regularly. From my recollections of the meetings that we have had, this has never been raised as an issue. However, at our next meeting, I am content to have a conversation about the issue.

As I referenced in response to a question last week, community pharmacies and pharmacists are absolutely key and integral to ensuring that Scotland gets through any winter crisis. The role that they carry out is incredibly important, and I am very thankful for what they do.

I hope that Mr Ewing will allow me to answer the question on the cabinet secretary’s behalf. I recognise the work that Mr Ewing has been doing to find solutions to the situation.

As I indicated to Ms Baillie, the cabinet secretary wrote to NHS Highland today. I know that he would be happy to engage with Mr Ewing, and he will write to Mr Ewing to ensure that that engagement happens.