Chamber and committees

NHS Ayrshire & Arran purchased Carrick Glen from Circle BMI for £1.8 million on 31st March 2022. Work is ongoing to finalise the Full Business Case for the new National Treatment Centre and redesign and redevelopment costs are yet to be finalised.

The Programme for Government 2021-22 committed to expanding the availability of the Caledonian System, with the aim of making it available to all Scottish local authorities by the end of the parliamentary term.

Consideration must be given to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operation of the Caledonian System, our ability to assess and evaluate during this period, and what lessons might be learned to further enhance the programme.

Currently, 19 local authority areas deliver the Caledonian System on a court mandated basis, which accounts for approximately 75% of the population. This is funded by the Scottish Government, and access is expected to continue throughout this parliamentary session.

This is a matter for Public Health Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government package of support for Scottish student nurses is currently at its highest level, and is the highest level of support available to nursing and midwifery students across the UK. Our non-means tested, non-repayable paramedic, nursing and midwifery student bursary is £10,000 per year and will remain at this level for the upcoming 2022-2023 academic year. Scottish domiciled students on degree, honours and masters levels of study leading to registration as a paramedic, nurse or midwife are all eligible.

Nursing students may also be eligible for a range of funding on top of the non-means tested bursary, including a Dependants Allowance, Disabled Students’ Allowance and/or Single Parent’s Allowance.

Students who are in financial difficulty may also be able to access the Nursing & Midwifery Discretionary Fund, which is administered by higher education institutions on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Asylum and immigration are matters reserved to the UK Parliament. This includes the operation of the UK asylum system and immigration detention.

An effective system to monitor the impact of the asylum system or immigration detention on people’s wellbeing would require access to personal data and information about people seeking asylum or in immigration detention. This data is held by the Home Office, and the Scottish Government does not have access to it.

Many third sector organisations have direct knowledge of the negative impact the asylum system can have on people’s welfare, through their work supporting people within communities. The complexity of the asylum system, the low level of support provided by the Home Office and the continuing uncertainty of waiting for a decision are often combined with previous trauma and vulnerabilities. Evidence from the third sector, and people with lived experience, indicates that the asylum process itself can be re-traumatising.

The Scottish Government, Scottish Forestry and NatureScot have worked with a range of partners to support and develop the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, including Scottish Land & Estates, RSPB Scotland, and The Southern Uplands Partnership and Scottish Power Renewables.

The Scottish Government has provided grant funding of £146,367.49 to the Project under the LEADER 2014-2020 Programme and £36,988 towards the satellite tracking of the golden eagles. NatureScot has also provided £43,300 funding and is actively involved in supporting all elements of the project work. The project has funding in place until Autumn 2023.

Other sources of public funding include:

Scottish Forestry (FCS)   £32,000

South of Scotland Enterprise £31,300

Scottish Borders Council £1,000

Community ownership is an important aim of the Scottish Government, where there are numerous examples of communities thriving after being given the opportunity to own and manage their own assets. This leads to better local outcomes, which focus on local needs.

The proposed community buyout of a portion of Langholm Moor, by The Langholm Initiative is an ambitious project. The group intend to use the land to regenerate the landscape and revitalise the local community through the creation of a nature reserve which will boost local tourism, providing new employment, training and housing opportunities for the local community.

The project is an example of what communities are capable of, given the right support, which is why the Scottish Government, through the Scottish Land Fund, has already awarded the community group a grant of £1m.

NHS Boards regularly assess continence patients' needs, with the assessments undertaken by dedicated Bladder and Bowel Teams or community nursing staff. This ensures that patients' needs are met, either through treatment or through provision of appropriate containment products. Referrals can also be made by patients' GPs where necessary, and also by a range of other healthcare professionals including pharmacists, consultants and care home staff.

Where a patient has been assessed as requiring continence products, they are provided by their local NHS Board's continence service on prescription.

Scottish Government is aware that NHS Dumfries & Galloway has experienced challenges with the delivery of GP services in Dumfries & Galloway including Lockerbie and Moffat.

NHS Dumfries & Galloway is working with the new contractors in Lockerbie and Moffat to stabilise and improve GP services there.