Chamber and committees

Scottish Government submission of 8 October 2021

PE1662/TT - Improve Treatment for Patients with Lyme Disease and Associated Tick-borne Diseases

Thank you for your recent correspondence seeking an update regarding the above petition. I am pleased to be given this opportunity to update Committee on the progress that has been made, which is the result of commitment from key stakeholders to bring about improvements in this area.

Within your letter, you requested an update on three key areas of work concerning Lyme Disease: the roundtable discussions held by Scottish Government; the establishment of an Infectious Diseases Managed Clinical Network; and the prospect of further research into Lyme Disease symptoms and its potential impact on other conditions. I will address each of these points in turn within this response.

Firstly, as you are aware, at the evidence session on 24 February 2021, the then Minister for Public Health and Sport, Mairi Gougeon, outlined her intention to convene a roundtable event that would bring together clinicians, public health experts and patient representatives. Since then, roundtable events have been held in April and June, which proved to be very useful forums for identifying the most salient issues and opening dialogue on these. As a result, we have established sub-groups to specifically look at two key topics: education of healthcare professionals and public awareness raising. The first meetings of these groups were held in recent weeks.

It is important to note that these are complex issues, and that the work of these groups is likely to be long-term. However all parties involved are dedicated to improving the landscape around Lyme Disease in Scotland.

The education of healthcare professionals sub-group is chaired by Scottish Government and comprises representatives from primary and secondary care, including experts in infectious disease in general and Lyme Disease in particular. As first steps, the group will examine the current resources being used by GPs and consider options for additional learning and development. The group has also committed to exploring the implementation of Lyme Disease ‘champions’ to spread messaging in healthcare settings, as well as linking in with the work of community pharmacies.

The public awareness sub-group is also chaired by Scottish Government and includes a wide range of representatives, from organisations including Visit Scotland, the Lyme Resource Centre, and Ramblers Scotland. Following their initial meeting, the Group is considering options for short- and long-term strategies to implement messaging around Lyme Disease, both to targeted groups and to the wider public.

In addition, Maree Todd, the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, has recorded a video message highlighting the need to be tick aware, and setting out the signs and symptoms of possible infection. This will be used in social media posts from Scottish Government accounts.

Your second query related to the establishment of an Infectious Diseases Managed Clinical Network. This is an important strand of the work to improve the treatment of Lyme Disease in Scotland. Unfortunately, the work to establish this network, with a stream for tick-borne infections, was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and progress at the current time is made more challenging as health services continue to experience significant pressure from the on-going pandemic. Nonetheless, Scottish Government remain committed to supporting this work however we can, and we are collaborating with colleagues in NHS National Services Scotland to seek a way forward.

Finally, you had requested to be apprised of any steps taken by the Scottish Government to encourage further research into Lyme Disease, including what causes long-term symptoms, and the possible impact the disease can have on other conditions. It was agreed at the most recent roundtable discussion that the Scottish Government will work with colleagues at the Scottish Lyme Disease and Tick-borne Infections Laboratory at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness to consider potential improvements in testing methods and processes.

In 2018, the laboratory at Raigmore Hospital was granted Reference Laboratory status, which ensures additional funding from NHS National Services Scotland for research and development into new tests for tick borne diseases to help improve our understanding of this complex infection.

The laboratory is currently undertaking significant research, including working with a PhD student at the University of Glasgow, in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to look at the development of Babesia testing methods. The Scottish Government will continue to liaise with the laboratory on the progress of their research.

I hope that this response has been helpful in answering your queries. The Scottish Government will continue to update the Committee on our work relating to Lyme Disease as we move forward, if the Committee would find that helpful.