Chamber and committees

Although we have seen staggering innovation in the field of critical care in recent years, we need a real focus on earlier treatment. Central to that is early diagnosis. By detecting illnesses in their nascent stages, we can unlock a cascade of benefits.

I will follow on from that. Treatments are often more effective when administered early, leading to better outcomes and increased survival rates, with reduced long-term complications and improved quality of life for patients. Just as important as early detection is the fact that early diagnosis can lower healthcare costs by preventing expensive advanced treatments while reducing the burden on emergency services. Being more efficient allows the health service to do more with the same resources.

Innovations in diagnostics are coming thick and fast, and it is clear that AI will play an important role in the area.

I urge NHS Grampian to move quickly and to stop mucking about on the issue. UCAN is another example of the use of new technology. The robots that are used for operations in UCAN are partly there because of lobbying that I did in the past to ensure that Government money went into those new technologies. I completely agree with Douglas Lumsden, and I say to NHS Grampian: get on with it.

Innovation must also be focused on the NHS of tomorrow, including the training of new healthcare workers. At the risk of being somewhat parochial and again bringing Aberdeen into the equation, I must acknowledge the great work that is being done at the centre for healthcare education research and innovation at the University of Aberdeen. CHERI is a research-based medical education centre that focuses on theory-driven research to inform new approaches to teaching and learning throughout the continuum of healthcare education. As such, it is a great example of how we can leverage the work of our universities that goes beyond simply new devices and gadgets.

I also want to talk about hospital at home, the acute clinical service that takes staff, equipment, technologies, medication and skills that are usually provided in hospitals and delivers that hospital care to people in their own homes. That is a real game changer for people and the NHS, allowing folk to receive the best medical care in their own home rather than in a hospital ward. As that trend expands globally and new developments allow more care to be carried out at home, we in Scotland are well placed to harness progress in the area thanks to the extra funding in the budget that will extend the hospital at home programme to 2,000 virtual beds.

Homes are important. We should not lose sight of the fact that a home is not just a roof over our heads but the foundation on which we build good health and social care. The reality is that many health and social care interventions are delivered in the home, but if that home is inadequate, unstable or non-existent, those interventions are compromised. That is why I am pleased that the budget includes not only an increase in the affordable housing supply budget, but increased funding for aspects of home improvement and adaptations, which is important.

We cannot be complacent in all this, and we must build on the hard-won gains that we have already seen. However, I suggest that we have a lot to be optimistic about—although, today, we have heard more of the pessimism than the optimism.

Last month, Aberdeen City Council, North Ayrshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council teamed up with Public Health Scotland and the Institute of Health Equity for a collaboration for health equity in Scotland to introduce positive changes at a local level in health, life expectancy and quality of life. Will the First Minister outline how the Scottish Government will follow the progress of the collaboration, and will he join me in encouraging a similar roll-out to local authorities across Scotland?

Will the member give way?

On Friday I had the pleasure of meeting some amazing apprentices from nexos in Aberdeen, and I heard about their hopes for the future. The fact that there has been no decision on Acorn, the backtracking on Great British Energy and the energy profit levy on oil and gas have led to a sense of betrayal in the north-east and a feeling that Scotland is seen as an afterthought by Westminster.

Can the cabinet secretary assure me that she is conveying the strength of feeling to the UK Government about Labour’s failure to back projects such as Acorn, which is without doubt holding back private investment and putting jobs at risk?

Will the member take another intervention?

Mr Griffin says that those issues are beyond the control of the Scottish Government, and I agree. However, when it comes to prices, it is not beyond the realm of possibility for the Labour UK Government to change energy prices and to decouple energy prices from international gas prices. Why does the Labour Government not consider doing that?

Will Sarah Boyack take an intervention?

Will Sarah Boyack give way on that point?