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You have referenced the third, public and private sectors. Evidence that was submitted to the consultation highlighted issues around improving care services and the need for fair wages and fair conditions for paid carers. How can the national performance framework prioritise the sustainability of care work to enhance the wellbeing both of carers and of those receiving care?

We will continue our scrutiny of the proposed national outcomes with a second panel of witnesses. I welcome Stephen Boyd, director of IPPR Scotland; Carol Calder, audit director, performance audit and best value at Audit Scotland; and Professor Chik Collins, director of the Glasgow Centre for Population Health.

We will move straight to questions, and I will start. I am keen to hear from the witnesses their views on the proposed new care outcome.

Thank you.

Before we move on, I want to ask a brief supplementary, too. You have mentioned twice now, I think, that we are in unprecedented times in terms of population health and that you could trail that back to the start of austerity 14 years ago. We are being told by the new Labour Government that things are only going to get worse in a financial sense. What impact will that have?

Thank you. I call David Torrance.

Good morning and welcome to the 23rd meeting in 2024 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received apologies from Ruth Maguire. James Dornan will be joining us remotely as a substitute.

The first item on our agenda is to decide whether to take item 3 in private. Do members agree to take that item in private?

Members indicated agreement.

The next item on our agenda is an evidence session to inform the committee’s scrutiny of the proposed national outcomes, which were recently published by the Scottish Government as part of its periodic review of the national performance framework. I welcome to the committee Emma Congreve, co-lead of the Scottish Health Equity Research Unit, and Professor Cameron Donaldson, professor of health economics at Glasgow Caledonian University.

We will move straight to questions and I will start. What are the witnesses’ views on the proposed new care outcome?

That was very helpful. We will explore more of those themes as we go through the evidence session.

Audit Scotland highlighted the need for better support structures for both paid and unpaid carers. Professor Donaldson referenced unpaid carers. How might the NPF capture the role of unpaid carers?

I am mindful of the time, so I ask that questions and answers be sharper, please, if people do not mind.

I thank the witnesses for their evidence. I am very grateful for your time. I suspend the meeting briefly for a changeover of witnesses.