Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has announced she will be standing down after just one term.
Writing on Twitter, she said: "I have informed my local Constituency Association tonight that I will not be seeking re-selection for the next Scottish Parliament election in May 2021."
Earlier today, an NHS Scotland letter was published in the press after a Freedom of Information request, which detailed the action being taken to prepare care homes for an influx of residents at the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.
According to the Press and Journal, the letter acknowledged the strain this would put on the care sector and was sent two and half weeks before Scotland went into lockdown.
The contents of the letters were described as “jaw-dropping” by Conservative health spokesman Donald Cameron.
Almost half of the coronavirus deaths in Scotland to date have been in care homes.
Ms Freeman said she had been "privileged" to hold the posts of Social Security Minister and Health Secretary in her letter, shared on Twitter, adding:
"I will be 67 later this year and 72 by the end of the next parliamentary term and while I have a great deal of energy left and more I want to do, I think it is the right time for me to stand aside and let another take forward the work as an MSP for this constituency."
