Minutes: 21 November 2023

1. Decisions on taking business in private:

The Committee agreed to take items 4, 5 and 6 in private.

2. Healthcare in remote and rural areas:

The Committee took evidence from—

Dr Pam Nicoll, Associate Director of Medicine and National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care Lead, NHS Education for Scotland;

Stephen Lea-Ross, Deputy Director of Health Workforce Planning and Development, and Siobhan Mackay, Interim Deputy Director of Primary Care Capability, Scottish Government.

Sandesh Gulhane declared an interest as a practising NHS GP and having sat on the British Medical Association's Scottish General Practitioners Committee.

3. Women's Health Champion:

The Committee took evidence from—

Professor Anna Glasier, Women's Health Champion;

Greig Chalmers, Head of the Chief Medical Officer’s Policy Division, and Felicity Sung, Women's Health Plan Team Lead, Scottish Government.

Sandesh Gulhane declared an interest as a practising NHS GP.

4. Healthcare in remote and rural areas (in private):

The Committee considered the evidence it heard earlier under agenda item 2.

5. Women's Health Champion (in private):

The Committee considered the evidence it heard earlier under agenda item 3.

6. Regulatory alignment with EU law (in private):

The Committee considered the first report on the EU law tracker.

As part of its scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s commitment to maintain alignment with EU law following EU exit, the Committee agreed to write to Public Health Scotland and the Standing Committee on Pandemic Preparedness to seek their views on implications of the adoption of EU Regulation 2022/2371 and the repeal of Decision No 1082/2013/EU, both related to responding to cross-border threats to public health.