From the ‘sick man of Europe’ moniker to the 1980s heroin epidemic - the impact of which we still feel today - Scotland’s health is a big part of our recent history and will continue to be a big part of our future as we build a greener and fairer country.

But that poses serious fiscal challenges too. Those who work on the front line are dealing with unprecedented pressures to catch up with a backlog caused by the pandemic.

The demographic challenge of an ageing population who live longer with more complex conditions is a common issue for most European countries, but in Scotland we have our unique challenges as well, with greater harm from alcohol, obesity and smoking than elsewhere in the UK.

With our own challenges, it does us well to remember that the NHS in Scotland has always been a separate entity and today is more different than elsewhere in the UK than ever before, so when it comes to inter-UK comparisons, they are not always helpful. We need an NHS that can respond to the challenges we face here.

Scotland’s NHS is still a national service and it is vital it remains that way. It is deeply concerning that the Internal Market Act gives the Tory Government the ability to undermine our health service in the name of the free market, and we must stand ready to defend it.

At the same time, the establishment of a national care service should be seen as an opportunity to acknowledge our demographic challenges to push up standards in the way we treat vulnerable people across the country.

But to really face the big challenges Scotland, we need to look to prevention, something that the Scottish Greens have long called for and which has now been acknowledged across the political spectrum.

At the start of this parliamentary session, I said it should be the public health parliament. Because as well the additional pressures it placed on the NHS, the pandemic also shown how important looking after ourselves is. The current cost of living crisis however is hampering this and should be a reminder of how damaging inequality is to people’s health. Ensuring everyone has enough money to live will influence health outcomes.

The Scottish Greens have always recognised that health is linked to our quality of life, work/life balance, the quality of our neighbourhoods and green space, access to good food and an economy that works for everyone.

Investment in things that keep our children happy and well now will play a big part in protecting our services in the future.

Gillian Mackay is health spokeswoman for the Scottish Greens