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Good morning. I want to pick up from where we left the previous question—at the grass-roots issue and the fact that young players from a south-east Asian background in particular do not progress to the national level.

There is a real feeling from the survey respondents about the challenges that exist. Fifty-four per cent of people from non-white backgrounds who responded to the survey said that they did not agree that there is a level playing field or a fair opportunity of access to the national level.

I appreciate what you said about the on-going review. However, I represent a community in which there are many young people from a south-east Asian background who play cricket, are passionate and enthusiastic about it, and are well supported by their families, and they do not seem to think that there is a prospect that they will be able to progress. What is your assessment of why that is?

Good morning. The committee is keen to understand the process of integration, looking ahead to our scrutiny of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill and looking retrospectively at how the arrangements are currently operating.

Do you feel that, at the time of integration, planning and guidance for the implementation of integration was suitably clear, detailed and timely? What was the experience of the planning for that integration process?

We have heard about local working at officer level, but I am keen to get a perspective from the boards themselves. How important is that democratic representation, with elected members able to scrutinise the work of health and social care partnerships and chief officers? Those people know their communities and have been elected to represent their communities. I say that as someone who served on an IJB in a previous life. I wonder whether Judith Proctor might want to share her view on that.

You referred to people’s perception. I am not sure that it is a perception. I think that there is a real demonstrable challenge for people in being able to access the sport.

I represent and come from East Renfrewshire, which is a community with a large south-east Asian community and in which people are well supported. There are a number of clubs and school opportunities, for example. I would like to hear a commitment from you that you will go to those communities, speak to people—particularly young people who have had challenging experiences—and get a sense from them not of what the situation is perceived to be but of what the reality of the situation is. Will you give that undertaking? I appreciate what you have said about commissioning work to be done, but I think that you in your role and whoever continues the leadership of the organisation should go to those communities.

As someone who represents the West Scotland region—and going back to my previous remarks about my own community—I am keen to understand what the particular issue is in west district. We have heard about the resignation of the board and its replacement, but it seems to me that there is a particular challenge in that part of the country. Gordon, do you want to elaborate on that?

That is helpful in terms of understanding the process towards integration. If we could park the pandemic—I am sorry for that unfortunate phrase, and I know it is not easy to do—I would like to get a sense of whether people feel that integration was well established. Is it absolutely there, or does it still feel very much like a work in progress? Stephen Brown or Allen Stevenson might want to give their observations on that.

I will start by asking for another reflection on integration. To what extent have the legislation and guidance allowed for effective collaboration with the third and private sectors?

Obviously, there is a basket of approaches that need to be taken on capacity. However, I was concerned to read about the lack of surge capacity in beds, which has been identified across boards. A large number of beds from last winter’s surge capacity are still occupied. How will we ensure surge capacity if required when it is simply not there?

Can you hear me? Thanks, convener.

I understand what colleagues have said about their anecdotal experience in the NHS and the comments that have been made about staff, but John-Paul Loughrey, who is vice-chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, has said that frail elderly people are being left on trolleys for hours because of shortages and that the initiatives that the Government has taken—to move people with minor ailments away from A and E, for example—are not delivering the change that is needed. He has said that every hospital in Scotland is “under the cosh”. What is the panel’s view on those comments? What interaction has there been with the RCEM?

I want to explore that mental health point a little further. I will ask about people who will inevitably end up in crisis due to cost of living pressures. Because it ties into trying to reduce attendances at the wrong place, I am keen to understand what work the boards have done with third sector providers on the support that they can give to deal with crisis. I am thinking about organisations such as local mental health associations, which already run some of the relevant services.

Given my local interest, I will start with Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Dr Armstrong.