Seòmar agus comataidhean

Am I picking up rightly that monitoring seems to be based on process, but that what is really important in is quality both for the individual for whom we provide the service and for their family?

I have listened closely to what the witnesses have said that we can and should do now. However, part of the committee’s responsibility is to scrutinise the bill as it progresses. I am interested in monitoring. The papers mention performance, but having listened to the witnesses, I think that we are talking about whether the bill and the amendments address the outcomes that we wish to achieve for the people that we seek to represent and support. Pauline Lunn, in particular, expressed strong feelings on that. Will you talk to us a wee bit about the bill and the amendments as they stand? Can we monitor the processes and get the outcomes that we are looking for? Can we get that right? Can we hold people to account for that?

You have mentioned the missing millions campaign. Is there any sense that the Government is picking up on the notion that we should seek to remove the private sector from the provision of service? Has there been any engagement on that at all?

Despite the discussion about whether the bill should progress, we still have to scrutinise amendments, as they stand.

One question that I am interested in is whether you think that the bill would, with amendments, give us a robust way of monitoring improvements in social care and make sure that we can look at performance in social care and outcomes for clients. Would the amendments, as they stand, allow us to do that, if the legislation was in place?

A quick question comes to mind. Will NHS Scotland be taking part in the review of adult gender services, as recommended by the Cass review across NHS England? Will there be some connection between NHS England and NHS Scotland on that?

Thank you.

With regard to hormone treatments, in the example of a female who is placed on testosterone, how do we ensure that people understand the potential risks of, for example, osteoporosis? Obviously, you will have much better in-depth clinical knowledge of such things, but the issue has been raised with me. Can people access bone density scans and so on, as they go through their life journey?

On statutory responsibility, including that of social workers—who are, I am sure you would accept, under enormous pressure—how do we support the statutory services, and particularly social workers, to get that information out as people start their journey in social care?

I am interested to know a little bit about funding for independent advocacy services. Do we have secure funding for those after 2027?

Good morning. Thank you for the introduction, which set out some of the things that we have heard in evidence on the approach and the differences in options that people have access to. My particular question is around the start of the journey, when people are provided with information and advice on self-directed support. I am interested in what we can do nationally to try to get consistency in that regard. Do you have anything in place at the moment? You talked about the new national care service. What could the Government do at the moment to try to help with that initial stage of information and choice around SDS?