Seòmar agus comataidhean

I call Emma Harper.

Agenda item 2 is the fourth oral evidence session as part of the committee’s inquiry into healthcare in remote and rural areas. We will hear from a panel of representatives of the healthcare workforce. I welcome Dawn MacDonald, who is Highland healthcare branch secretary at Unison; Jaki Lambert, who is the director for Scotland of the Royal College of Midwives; Nicola Gordon, who is policy manager for Scotland at the Royal College of Nursing; and Michael Dickson, who is the chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service. Jaki Lambert and Nicola Gordon are joining us online.

We move straight to questions and we will start with Ivan McKee.

Ruth Maguire will move on to our next theme. We have a lot of ground to cover, so I ask the witnesses to be concise in their answers, please. That would be really helpful.

Tess White has a supplementary question.

Jaki Lambert and Nicola Gordon both want to answer.

I call Ruth Maguire.

I believe that Jaki wants to come in on this too.

Nicola Gordon, you wanted to come in, too.

Emma Harper has a brief supplementary.

Good morning and welcome to the 37th meeting in 2023 of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I have received apologies from Paul Sweeney. The first item on our agenda is to decide whether to take in private items 3, 4, 5 and 6, and whether to consider in private at future meetings the evidence that is heard as part of our inquiry into remote and rural healthcare. Do members agree to do so?

Members indicated agreement.