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At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a lot of focus on the incredible work that is done by care workers, but it feels as though some of that focus has waned as attention has moved to the pressure that is being placed on the health service. Are we doing enough to continue to value and highlight the contribution of care workers during the pandemic?

We have talked about people‘s incomes, particularly during the pandemic. Furlough is due to come to an end, universal credit is being cut and incomes generally are declining for those who are least able to afford it during the pandemic. Would the panel agree that a universal basic income approach could help to tackle some of the economic inequalities that lead to poor health?

Do we need specific interventions in specific places or more system-wide interventions? For example, air pollution kills 2,500 Scots per year, according to Friends of the Earth Scotland. In my region, we have Scotland’s biggest polluter. In our papers, there is a focus on Glasgow, which is a unique example in Scotland, in that not only is it one of our major cities but it has a very large motorway running through its middle. There are particular issues in Glasgow with early deaths and so on. Does the panel think that we need specific, place-based interventions or wider system change on air pollution and other determinants of poor health?

Following on from Dr Robertson’s contributions, I am particularly interested in staff morale and wellbeing. Are clinical and other staff getting enough support? What can be done in the immediate short term to prevent a crisis of morale? What could be done in the long term to improve overall recruitment and retention in each of the groups that you represent?

I have a quick question this time. People who use drugs may be subject to multiple stigmas, not just that related to their drug use. That can include stigma relating to homelessness, mental health and, for some, HIV status. How will the Government ensure that the multiple stigmas are tackled within systems used by people who use drugs, and not just in relation to their drug use and the stigma surrounding it?

I want to pick up on an earlier point about access to rehab. There was a greater discussion about how residential rehab interacts with the rest of the mix of treatment options, but many people might be afraid of losing their tenancy if they enter rehab or they might have caring responsibilities, as the convener pointed out earlier. Some people have unplanned discharges from treatment, and there is the matter of the police and hopefully the wider public carrying naloxone.

You have touched on the issue slightly, but how do you see integration across various areas of Government, in relation to supporting people in their tenancies or encouraging more people to take up carrying naloxone? That could be used to support those people who find themselves in a period of homelessness in particular, as many people with drug and alcohol addiction do.

People who leave residential rehabilitation are at increased risk of overdoses, because the period of abstinence lowers their tolerance to drugs. It is important that we recognise that people do not leave rehab cured and that they often need on-going treatment and support. How will the Government ensure that residential rehab services are well integrated with other health and care services and that follow-up support is provided to those who leave rehab?

Although many of Scotland’s drug deaths involve more than one substance, drug deaths figures show a continued upward trend in cocaine being implicated in the cause of death. The Scottish Drugs Forum has warned that efforts to get more people into treatment must take account of the needs of people who use cocaine as well as those who use depressant drugs. How will you ensure that drug treatment services serve the needs of people who are using cocaine or, indeed, a number of substances?

When will we see an implementation plan for the women’s health plan, and will it include specific timescales for things coming forward?

Representatives of the social care sector have raised concerns that, although there is an NHS recovery plan, there is not a recovery plan for social care. With legislation coming on a national care service, services still need support in the interim period until a national care service is established. Does the Scottish Government recognise the need for a social care recovery plan? What plans are in place to ensure that our social care services have appropriate support as we emerge from the pandemic and before we get national care service legislation enacted?