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I had the absolute privilege of visiting some school nurses in Falkirk a few weeks ago, and it was incredible to see the amount of preventative work that they do. They are hugely passionate and innovative in what they do. In rural and remote areas, their preventative work on health could be extremely important. Given the potential impacts of certain practitioners on keeping people well—resulting in fewer attendances at acute settings, which is important—and given some of the distances involved in remote and rural areas, what planning is under way to ensure that we have a diverse mix of recruitment and that we do not lose sight of really important healthcare professionals, such as school nurses?

The cabinet secretary mentioned the ambitions to have a net zero health service by 2040, and the public will obviously be aware of the impact that buildings and transport to and from hospitals will have on those ambitions. One of my areas of interest is the environmental impact of medicines and what we are doing to tackle that. What work is going on to engage with patients and clinicians around some of the alternatives that we may need to move to, and what financial impact could that have on NHS budgets? Obviously, some of the alternatives may be more expensive, and some may be less expensive, than current treatments.

That is great.

That is great. Thanks, convener.

Good morning, cabinet secretary. The increase in the cost of energy, as well as food inflation and many other rising costs, will undoubtedly have an impact on the cost of running NHS buildings. Does that raise issues for how individual boards use their estate, and what could the impact be on boards’ ability to deliver services?

The policy memorandum talks about a new national social work agency that will be a department of Government. However, some witnesses have requested that the agency be independent. What is your view on that, and what do you say to those who believe that the agency should be independent of Government?

There might be many people who transition through different tenures of housing during their social care journey, whether they be disabled people or people who are approaching the end of life and who might move from, for example, a family home into supported accommodation—sheltered housing, for example—palliative care or a care home. How can we ensure that, through the national care service and co-design, we take on board some of the experience that people have had through those journeys, whether it is good or bad, and that we make those journeys and transitions as smooth as possible for people?

Thank you, convener. I will pop both my questions into one to save some time.

Good morning, minister. We have heard from witnesses different opinions about what the bill could achieve in the medium term. Could you provide practical examples of the impact that the bill could have on issues that are facing social care? The bill represents a large structural reform. Many of the issues that we are, quite rightly, covering today are very technical. Although they might be difficult for many people in the general public to digest and follow, they could have a large impact on how they or a loved one receive care. What differences do you hope that workers and people who receive care will see as a result of the legislation?

I raised the issue of sustainability of co-design with Derek Feeley. Given the number of workstreams that are under way and the length of time that co-design could take, what work is being done to ensure that people who are contributing, particularly those with lived experience, can continue to do so in a way that is not unduly taxing?

Minister, how do you envision that the bill will engage with people who are experiencing homelessness, particularly in relation to community health? How do you envisage the bill improving the lives of people who are experiencing homelessness and other things that might cause chaotic periods in people’s lives?

Through co-design and evidence gathering, you will likely, as we have heard, see examples of good practice in different parts of the country. How are those being incorporated into the plans for the bill and the implementation afterwards? We talked earlier about the implementation gap. How does current work on the bill ensure that that will not happen with this piece of reform?