We move on to item 6, on the national health service performance overview. Members have a copy of the response to our letter from the Executive's accountable officer, Dr Kevin Woods, which examines the issues of NHS workforce and financial performance. Are there any comments, questions or observations?
The letter describes work in progress. It uses phrases such as
We will have to check it against the delivery of the delivery group.
Indeed.
The Executive gives the delivery group a messianic role—it says that the delivery group will come to sort everything out. Do we have a timetable for that? How soon can we probe the work of the delivery group once it gets going?
I suspect that you ask that question because you are aware that we are waiting for the head of the delivery group to be appointed. We have asked Dr Woods about that in the past. The appointment of a head will allow matters to move on. Audit Scotland might have further information on whether there has been any progress of that nature.
We have not heard whether anyone has been appointed. There has certainly not been an announcement about the head of the delivery group.
The Executive's response states:
In at least our last two overview reports, we have highlighted the fact that allocations have been made throughout the year. We have criticised that process because it affects the boards' ability to manage their finances well. It looks as if what is proposed would be an improvement on what has been happening.
I pick up on the point that Andrew Welsh made. The Executive says:
We cannot tell you much more than is in the letter.
As with our previous letter from an accountable officer, which was on an entirely different topic, we will need to check what it says against delivery. It identifies a number of proposed actions, but we will need to wait and see what happens. Further measurements will be made. I suggest that we simply note the response.
The response says that the establishment of the delivery group is "imminent". I suggest that we ask how imminent it is.
That is an interesting issue. It strikes me that you might want to ask that question when we discuss the subject of agenda item 4 under agenda item 8, because the establishment of the delivery group might be relevant to tackling waiting times.