Chamber and committees

The Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland is delivered by the Managed Service Network for children and young people with cancer (MSN CYPC). A progress update will be provided by the MSN as part of its annual reporting.

To support the MSN CYPC strategy and review of psychological support for Children and Young People with cancer, which actions 46 and 47 refer to, the Scottish Government has commissioned the Scottish Cancer Network to work with the MSN in delivering a workforce review. An initial review on three allied health professional (AHP) specialities is underway.

Additionally, the Scottish Government committed to a National Allied Health Professions (AHP) Workforce and Education Policy Review. The review will consider whether or not policy for AHP education provision is congruent to the current and future needs of our students and the future health needs of the people of Scotland. It will also consider the actions necessary to deliver a national education and workforce plan for AHPs, giving full consideration of all aspects of workforce measurement, planning and education needs for the future.

The suite of final reports presenting the recommendations of the Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) will be published on the Transport Scotland website on 8 December 2022. This represents a key milestone for strategic transport planning in Scotland. Setting out a 20 year framework for capital investment to drive the change we need to achieve the Scottish Government’s strategic vision and move towards Net Zero – the majority of the 45 recommendations contribute directly towards achieving emissions reduction.

This marks the culmination of over three years’ intensive work.

The evidence gathering and robust objective-led appraisal work feeding in to this review has been informed by stakeholder engagement from the very outset. The public have been provided with several opportunities for involvement, not least the three month statutory consultation on draft versions of the reports during January to April 2022. All responses to this have been carefully considered and used to inform refinement of the final recommendations.

The intention was to publish a Delivery Plan for these recommendations, alongside the final report. However, due to the current huge lack of certainty around available capital budget and fiscal policy over recent months, this has not been possible as yet. As such the Delivery Plan will follow in 2023, which will include more detail on prioritisation and delivery timescales, however, I am pleased to note that work is already underway on 38 of the 45 recommendations.

We have accepted that the 25% figure for offshore wind potential is dated. The figure has been used widely and was included in a UK Government report in 2013. In relation to the Freedom of Information requests associated with the These Islands report, we recognise that there was correspondence between officials about the use of the statistic in late 2020, and we are now undertaking a further examination of our records, alongside work to provide an updated estimate.

The Scottish Government are awaiting publication of the guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) before deciding their next steps in relation to whether we ask the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) to review and adapt the guidance for NHS Scotland. The draft guidance by NICE medical technologies has an expected publication date of March 2023.

Development, management and use of surveillance technology in Scotland is a matter for local partners, including Police Scotland, working in partnership to consider their local needs.

The Scottish Government has accepted that the 25% figure for offshore wind potential is dated. We are undertaking an examination of our records and have initiated work to quantify Scotland’s offshore wind potential. Once this work has concluded we will consider which legacy documents may need to be updated.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12355 on 8 December 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Scottish Government is not aware of any plans to roll out the use of infrared-sensitive cameras placed in patients’ rooms to measure pulse and breathing rates remotely across NHSScotland.

It is ultimately for the 14 Territorial Health Boards across Scotland to decide whether to procure and apply this technology as part of their treatment for patients.

The Scottish Government is committed to achieving a consistent approach to NHS Board consideration of health technologies, via a system based upon the clinical and cost effectiveness of technologies to the NHS and to people in Scotland.

Health Technologies play a critical role in the delivery of clinical and cost effective healthcare which meets the needs of patients to deliver excellent healthcare and patient outcomes.

The capital budget of £574 million will be allocated in full to NHS Territorial and National Boards and it is expected that the budget by the year end will be fully invested and spent. This will cover basic maintenance, replacement of essential medical equipment, developing the National Treatment Centre Programme, delivering the Baird and ANCHOR centre in Aberdeen, the Parkhead Health and Social Care Centre in the East End of Glasgow and numerous other vital capital projects.