I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the debate as the new Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care. Scotland’s NHS is an institution that I am truly proud to lead. Although I have been in post only a short number of days, I recognise that our health and social care system is far more than just a series of individual services—it is a vibrant living system that supports every life in Scotland, and those who have dedicated their lives to working in the services across that system help to ensure that all of us can live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. I want to set out at the outset how grateful I am to those who work in our health services—in this case, in primary care.

Before I move on, I will take a moment to acknowledge and thank my predecessor, Michael Matheson, who I know gave his all to the role of health secretary. Michael’s commitment to NHS staff and his efforts to work constructively with unions have ensured that Scotland is thus far the only nation in the United Kingdom that has not lost a single day to strike action. That is not a situation that I take for granted, and I want to continue to pursue the working relationship that Michael established, which was fostered on trust with our trade union colleagues.

Our health and social care service is going through the most challenging period in its history. The collective impact of the pandemic, Brexit and the cost of living crisis is one of the biggest systemic shocks that this country and the NHS have faced. All that is against a backdrop of 14 years of UK Government austerity that has left our public services with very little resilience. I am clear that, in order to move forward and recover from those collective challenges, we need reform and innovation right across the health service. I will set out my vision for that reform in the coming weeks, but key to that will be listening to the voices of people who use and work in health and social care.

Let me restate that the fundamentals of Scotland’s NHS will not change. We remain committed to free access to healthcare at the point of need.