Chamber and committees

There is a large amount of data collected and published on men’s health given the inclusion of a sex variable in most data collections, where applicable. Public Health Scotland report on a wide range of health conditions and outcomes for Scotland, and routinely make information available at NHS board level. Their current and future planned publications can be viewed and downloaded here:

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/

National Records of Scotland (NRS) also release information on population and mortality figures, in some instances with a sex and NHS health board breakdown. A list of NRS current and future publications can be found here:

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/

Details of men’s health for a range of outcomes and conditions by NHS board areas are already available through various products such as the Scottish Health Survey dashboard and the ScotPHO area profiles. Links are provided here:

Scottish Health Survey dashboard

https://scotland.shinyapps.io/sg-scottish-health-survey/.

ScotPHO profiles dashboard

https://www.scotpho.org.uk/comparative-health/profiles/online-profiles-tool

Over the next three months, we will undertake an intensive programme of engagement with local government and partners to consider how health, social care and wider public services can work more effectively together, make best use of public investment and improve outcomes for people and communities. Partnership working will remain essential. Detailed arrangements will be developed as part of wider public service reform.

Local communities will continue to play an important role in helping to shape services. Engagement with patients, service users, communities, elected representatives and local partners will remain central to decision-making, supported by appropriate governance, participation and locality arrangements.

The reforms are not intended to create a one-size-fits-all system. Planning across larger populations will enable greater sharing of workforce, expertise and capacity, while continuing to support tailored approaches that reflect local circumstances, including the unique needs of rural and island communities.

Over the next three months, we will undertake an intensive programme of engagement with local government and partners to consider how health, social care and wider public services can work more effectively together, make best use of public investment and improve outcomes for people and communities. Partnership working across local government, health, social care and community planning organisations will remain essential. Detailed arrangements will be developed as part of wider public service reform.

Local authorities do not have a statutory duty to provide funded ELC to children who reside outside their area, however they have the power to do so under section 23 of the Education (Scotland) Act (1980) and are encouraged through joint Scottish Government and COSLA guidance to treat children from neighbouring authorities the same, wherever possible.

While the Scottish Government is not currently planning to legislate to create a statutory duty, Ministers remain open to exploring all potential routes to improving families’ experiences.

Statutory guidance already sets out that, where possible, children receiving their funded hours in a setting outside the local authority in which they reside should be treated on the same basis as those accessing provision in their own local authority area.

Cross-boundary arrangements are working well in much of Scotland under the current legislative framework and Scottish Ministers continue to call on local authorities to work together consistently to support choice and flexibility where families are impacted by boundary lines.

Ministers remain open to exploring all potential routes to improving families’ experiences and have committed to exploring cross-boundary provision further with COSLA within the context of wider reform and the Scottish Government’s ambition to transform the wider childcare offer during this parliament.

The Scottish Government is committed to maintaining Scotland's domestic steel capacity and officials are in regular contact with management at Dalzell as they work towards a restart of operations soon.

Specific operational arrangements at Liberty Steel Dalzell including staffing, furlough arrangements and working hours are matters for the company.

Since the introduction of the Scottish Standards for Electroconvulsive Therapy, there has been continued engagement with NHS Boards via the national audit process. It is the responsibility of NHS Boards to comply with national clinical and audit standards.

The Detailed Options Appraisal (DOA) for the St Andrews Transport Appraisal was submitted to Transport Scotland by the StARLink group in March 2024.

The appraisal looked at both light rail and heavy rail options for reconnecting St Andrews to the rail network via Leuchars. Following its review, Transport Scotland concluded that there was not enough evidence to justify taking either rail option forward at this stage.

However, the appraisal found that improving connections between rail and bus services at Leuchars station could benefit passengers travelling to and from St Andrews.

As with any regional transport proposal, the appraisal could be reviewed again if there is a significant change in circumstances or new evidence becomes available. Since the East Coast Arc proposals are still at an early stage, it is currently too soon to determine whether they would have a sufficient impact to justify revisiting the appraisal. Any decision to update the St Andrews Transport Appraisal to reflect the potential effects of the East Coast Arc would be a matter for the StARLink group, or another interested organisation, to consider and progress.

While structural change will support long-term financial sustainability, the greatest benefits will come from service redesign, better planning and reducing variation in health care and outcomes across Scotland. The costs and benefits of reform will be set out through the programme's business case and developed in partnership with NHS Boards.

This work will complement existing plans to improve financial sustainability and support Boards in returning to financial balance. The programme will be supported by a clear benefits framework and ongoing monitoring to assess whether it delivers improved outcomes and value for money. Decisions on final service structure models and their locations will be worked through during this design phase.

This work will be underpinned by the Scottish Government’s Fair Work principles, and our ongoing commitment to no compulsory redundancies.

Any future workforce changes will be done in full partnership with NHS Trade Unions in a structured and managed way, in line with existing NHS Scotland policies which have been agreed in partnership with trade unions.

Over the next three months, we will undertake an intensive programme of engagement with local government and partners to consider how health, social care and wider public services can work more effectively together, make best use of public investment and improve outcomes for people and communities. Partnership working across local government, health, social care and community planning organisations will remain essential. Detailed arrangements will be developed as part of wider public service reform.