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Unlike Jackie Baillie, I was proud to vote, along with the cabinet secretary, for the Scottish budget that provided that record direct investment for our national health service here in Scotland. It is really important that we recognise that the money that is involved in that is Scotland’s money, and it is for this Parliament to decide how that money is allocated. I voted for it, the cabinet secretary voted for it, and Jackie Baillie and her colleagues did not.

Will the cabinet secretary provide an update on his engagement with health boards regarding the potential for that funding to be used to update equipment, while encouraging conversations on increasing innovation across the NHS and social care?

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the debate and to highlight some fantastic innovations in health and social care, particularly in Dundee. Blackwood Homes and Care operates more than 1,700 homes across 28 local authorities and is renowned for its innovative approach to accessible housing. Colleagues across the chamber will be familiar with Blackwood’s groundbreaking work, which is revolutionising the way in which technology and data are integrated into independent living solutions, offering transformative benefits for individuals.

I know that the First Minister shares the concern across the chamber about the situation at the University of Dundee and the proposed job losses. It would be good if the First Minister were to put on the record that, like the rest of us, he considers the proposals from the university to compulsorily sack more than 600 people—20 to 25 per cent of the workforce—to be absolutely unacceptable; that the Government will use all its efforts to ensure that that does not happen; and that we will get a new plan that works for the staff, the students and the city of Dundee.

I was just about to mention the cabinet secretary’s visit, which I know was really appreciated by Blackwood. I had the privilege of visiting 66 new homes in Charleston, in my constituency. That £17.5 million housing project uses state-of-the-art technology and design features to help people to live as independently as possible.

Members might not be aware that Margaret Blackwood was a Dundonian. A remarkable campaigner for the rights of disabled people, she spearheaded the march on wheels protest along Princes Street in Edinburgh and addressed a rally in Trafalgar Square where she publicly demanded equality and recognition for disabled people’s rights. The first Blackwood home opened in Dundee in 1976, marking the beginning of a transformation in accessible housing in Scotland. I believe that Blackwood still leads the way in that innovation. The Blackwood standard is something that all housing associations should aspire to.

Shona Robison and I visited the stroke and thrombectomy team at Ninewells hospital a couple of years ago, with the Stroke Association. We saw at first hand how AI technology enables that extraordinary thrombectomy treatment. We also saw how the innovative use of workforce can be employed in its delivery.

For the record, a thrombectomy is the mechanical removal of a clot of blood from the blood vessel connecting to the brain. The Stroke Association has told me that 153 people in Scotland had a thrombectomy in 2023, which is just one in seven of those eligible. It is clear that thrombectomy needs to be normalised in Scotland’s stroke pathway, and innovation is critical to its delivery. It is great that the national procurement process for the development of an AI tool for assisting stroke clinicians to perform thrombectomies has begun.

I take this opportunity to highlight the work of Professor Iris Grunwald, who won Innovate UK’s women in innovation award in 2023. Professor Grunwald’s achievements include developing the first AI solution for image interpretation in acute stroke and bringing the first mobile stroke unit ambulance to the UK.

I want to take a moment to talk about something that is very personal to me. In October 2022, my father had a very serious stroke. I take the opportunity to thank Professor Grunwald and her team—personally and on behalf of my family—for saving not only my dad’s life but his quality of life. My dad celebrated his 89th birthday last month and is loving life. [Applause.] I hope that the minister is able to say something in her closing speech about the on-going work to ensure that more people who have a stroke can have the positive outcome that my dad experienced.

The final issue that I want to touch on is the huge potential of robotics to improve many aspects of health and social care provision in Scotland. Robotics can be central to transformative technology and the establishment of practical ways to bring technology into our hospitals, care homes and care at home. The expansion of NHS Tayside’s robotic surgical service, which is being used in a range of disciplines, is benefiting patients in Dundee and across our region.

I highlight the work of the National Robotarium at Heriot-Watt University, which is the UK’s centre for robotics and artificial intelligence and is in my colleague Gordon MacDonald’s constituency. I am pleased that the cabinet secretary and other members have already mentioned that.

It is clear that there are significant health and economic benefits to the innovations that I, and colleagues from across the chamber, have set out. Crucially, those innovations are having an enormous positive impact on the lives of the people of Dundee and those across Scotland. To continue to realise the benefits of innovation, we must continue to invest in our hugely talented research institutions, in social care and, ultimately, in the future of our healthcare system.

The University of Dundee is internationally renowned for its research and teaching. This afternoon, I met union representatives there and heard that staff are understandably deeply concerned about their jobs and the reputation of the university. Does the minister agree that the current proposal from senior management at the university and the scale of job losses being suggested are simply not acceptable? Does he agree that senior management must urgently get around the table with unions and the workforce to produce a recovery plan that explores every possible option to save jobs?

I thank the minister for his response and his efforts.

The hostile environment on immigration, which is badly damaging international student recruitment, compounded by the United Kingdom’s national insurance hike that is costing the University of Dundee an extra £2.3 million this year, are factors that affect universities across the UK, but there remains little transparency about how the university got into this position, so it is little wonder that staff have a lack of confidence in the senior management’s ability to come up with a credible recovery proposal.

What further support can be offered to the university to bring in the required expertise without resorting to the employment of another senior manager at an eye-watering cost of £200,000? How can the minister ensure transparency?

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what engagement it has had with the University of Dundee regarding its financial recovery plan and proposed reduction in staffing.

Unlike Mr Marra, I not only welcome the £15 million funding, but I voted for it. It is really important that we develop a recovery plan that supports the University of Dundee’s reputation as a global centre of excellence in teaching and research. That has to be done in collaboration with the staff and workforce. Does the minister agree?

[Made a request to intervene.]

[Made a request to intervene.]