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The measures that I mentioned will have a direct impact on inequality and give families the ability to make choices that can help them to build for the future without having to constantly worry about whether they can make ends meet.

My questions are on the theme of public messaging. Sometimes it is suggested that we need to manage people’s expectations of the NHS, but I worry about doing that. Based on the evidence that we have heard today and some of the discussions that we have had, I wonder whether Government needs to be more honest with the population about where we are with the NHS. Do you think that that message is out there in the public? In my experience, most people are only trying to access services in the same way as they have for many years.

Yes—I particularly want to put the question to him. We put a lot of pressure on people about alternative pathways. I believe in them, but people have accessed services in the same way for a long time. Sometimes we put too much pressure on people—particularly those in the deep-end practice areas that you mentioned—to access things in a different way, but we do not help them to navigate that well. I would welcome your comments on that, Dr Loughrey.

I am interested in knowing about how we support the public with messaging about the situation in NHS Scotland. We discussed public messaging with the previous witnesses. What is the Government’s plan for the winter and the longer term? What will be the message about access to the NHS in Scotland?

I have a particular interest in alternative pathways, which I am very fond of. They are a good thing, but it is unrealistic to expect people who have done things in a certain way for a long time, particularly when they are under pressure because of their own or a family member’s health, to understand those pathways. What plans do you have in place?

You might, in the previous evidence, have heard one of the medics say that, last year, one enormous pressure related to Strep cases. He felt that the system was not easily able to quickly change its messaging for parents. Have you learned lessons from what happened last year so that things might be better if we have a similar situation in the future?

Thank you.

I thank Christine Grahame for bringing the motion to the chamber and, on behalf of the Scottish Labour health team and as a member for the region, congratulate NHS Borders on the 20th anniversary of the paediatric ambulatory care unit at Borders general hospital in Melrose.

There are few things more important than the health and wellbeing of our children, and that such specialist and focused provision remains in the Borders is a real positive and shows the importance of dedicated paediatric care.

It is heartening to learn from the NHS Borders description of the ward that the key aims of the unit include reducing waiting times for children and having nurses with specific responsibility to care for them when they visit the ward. As other members have said, that will be well received by the young people and their families.

It is important that this service remains in the Borders. At a time when so many have to leave for work and to access other services, this NHS provision remains firmly within the Borders and serves the people of the area. As a member for South Scotland, I cannot count the number of occasions when I have heard of residents having to travel to Glasgow, Lanarkshire or Edinburgh to receive services. It is undoubtedly the case that the provision of services, including health, can be severely limited in rural areas, so this service should be welcomed. Long may it continue in the Borders.

As the motion states, it is apt that we take time to give credit to paediatric nursing teams in the Borders and across the country. The care that they provide, the compassion that they show and the contribution that they make to the operation of our NHS have been rightly recognised in the motion and by all speakers in this debate.

However, it would be remiss of me, as an Opposition member, not to mention the problems in the NHS, which we should consider. We learned this morning of a staggering one in seven Scots waiting for treatment and of thousands of children and young people on long waiting lists for child and adolescent mental health services. The Government has not yet met the 18-week target for CAMHS waiting times. It is important that we discuss those figures when we have the opportunity.

However, we are here to commend the work of the paediatric ambulatory care service and I again do so. Like my colleague Emma Harper, I thought that the medical director’s words were wonderful when he made the point about how well nursing services have done during the 20 years of the service.

It is right that we have come together to debate this important unit, but it is our responsibility to ask the minister to tell us about how we can improve services. I hope that the minister will congratulate that service tonight but will also outline some of the issues that must be addressed and, particularly on a day when we have heard the programme for government, explain how the Government will do that.

Very quickly, following on from Gillian Mackay’s questions, would you comment on the safe staffing legislation, the commitment to have that in place by April 2024 and how you think that that is going?

For my particular question, I highlight key points made by board chief executives about staffing. Jeff Ace from NHS Dumfries and Galloway said:

“technically, I cannot afford one in 10 of my workforce, but I clearly need all those people and more to meet the service demands that we are facing.”—[Official Report, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, 2 May 2023; c 13.]

Ralph Roberts from NHS Borders said:

“There is no doubt that what I hear most from staff is their frustration about not being able to do the job that they came to do”.—[Official Report, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, 21 March 2023; c 25.]

Claire Burden from NHS Ayrshire and Arran said:

“There is a lot of anxiety: anxiety and stress are key drivers of staff absences, because the current climate is tough.”—[Official Report, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, 21 March 2023; c 24.]

Is it fair to say that the previous cabinet secretary did not get it right in terms of staffing—staff terms and conditions, recruitment and their place in the workplace? Do you have a plan to take that forward and do you think that you can turn around that staff recruitment and retention issue?

Thank you for that. The point—

Good morning.

My question relates to all those points. The following quote from Claire Burden, who is from my area, is important. She said that she

“inherited a deficit of £26 million”

when she entered her post, and that

“Going into 2023-24, our underlying position is deteriorating”—[Official Report, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, 21 March 2023; c 13.]

I wonder whether the cabinet secretary feels that decisions, or lack of decisions, by his predecessor are causing on-going problems for the boards. Can you demonstrate to us how you might treat some of the decisions that need to be made with some urgency? The feeling from the boards was that, although the situation was acknowledged, there was no urgency around decision making that might help in the long term.