Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is today publishing the Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031, delivering our commitment to publish a National Flow Plan within the first 100 days of this administration.

The Plan sets out our ambition for one connected system, simple routes to care, ensuring every person receives the most appropriate response as quickly as possible. It outlines action to improve navigation into care, expand home and community-based services, strengthen discharge arrangements, improve acute hospital flow, and tackle overcrowding and corridor care.

The Plan has been developed jointly with Scotland East and Scotland West Sub-National Planning Committees and informed through engagement with NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, clinicians, national agencies, care providers and other partners. Detailed operational implementation arrangements an collaboration with partners will continue to be developed following publication.

Through delivery of this Plan we will improve access to care, support more care closer to home, reduce delays and improve outcomes for people across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is aware that the national programme to implement an NHS Scotland Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) framework is underway and is intended to connect all NHS laboratory medicine labs and hospitals across Scotland to improve the experience of patients.

A common and fit-for-purpose LIMS is vital to support Scotland’s digital strategies and is a key enabler for the delivery of consistent and connected clinical laboratory services across Scotland.

Procurement and the award of the tender to Magentus was managed by the former NHS National Services Scotland on behalf of a consortium of NHS Boards.

The consortium of twelve NHS Boards has been progressing the programme. They have chosen three NHS Boards in Fife, Shetland and Orkney as accelerator sites and these are now live. A second tranche of NHS Lothian and NHS Grampian are on course to go live in Summer 2027, with the remaining Boards scheduled to go live in a third tranche in Summer 2028 and a fourth tranche in Summer 2029.

The Scottish Government is today publishing the Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031, delivering our commitment to publish a National Flow Plan within the first 100 days of this administration.

The Plan sets out our ambition for one connected system, simple routes to care, ensuring every person receives the most appropriate response as quickly as possible. It outlines action to improve navigation into care, expand home and community-based services, strengthen discharge arrangements, improve acute hospital flow, and tackle overcrowding and corridor care.

The Plan has been developed jointly with Scotland East and Scotland West Sub-National Planning Committees and informed through engagement with NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, clinicians, national agencies, care providers and other partners. Detailed operational implementation arrangements an collaboration with partners will continue to be developed following publication.

The Plan can be accessed here: Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031.

Through delivery of this Plan we will improve access to care, support more care closer to home, reduce delays and improve outcomes for people across Scotland.

NHS Boards are responsible for the operational management of the walk-in pilot sites. I would advise that you contact them directly for up-to-date information on their staffing positions.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) regarding the operation of social security appeals, including Adult Disability Payment appeals. These discussions cover a range of operational matters including appeal volumes, processing times, hearing arrangements and adjournment rates.

A second or subsequent hearing may be required when the Tribunal determines additional information is needed before a decision can be reached. This can include obtaining further supporting information, seeking clarification of information presented during a hearing, or allowing additional time to secure representation.

Social Security Scotland has not undertaken a specific assessment of delays resulting from appeals that require second or subsequent hearings. However, it continues to engage with SCTS on appeals performance and the efficient operation of the appeals system.

Decisions about the management of appeals, including whether to adjourn a hearing and when any further hearing takes place, are matters for the independent First-tier Tribunal for Scotland and administered by Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

There are currently no plans to ring-fence regeneration capital funding specifically for façade improvements to commercial properties in town centres.

As part of our broader commitment to regeneration, in 2026-27 up to £40 million capital regeneration investment support the repurposing of vacant buildings, revitalise town centres and accelerate town centre living.

Since 2014, Glasgow City Council has received more than £96 million in regeneration capital investment from the Scottish Government. This funding has supported a wide range of projects, including façade improvements. For example, investment in Possilpark's Saracen Street enabled the restoration of 10 shopfronts, reinstating their original Victorian character and contributing to the wider regeneration of the area.

The Scottish Government does not currently provide funding specifically for retail improvement schemes and, as a result, there is no associated national guidance. Any grant schemes delivered by local authorities or other local bodies are likely to operate within their own frameworks and to be subject to locally determined eligibility criteria and funding conditions.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact that delays in diagnosis and treatment can have on people with obstructive sleep apnoea, as well as the wider consequences for health services and the economy.

NHS boards are responsible for the planning and delivery of sleep services to meet the needs of their local populations. The Scottish Government is supporting boards through investment to increase NHS capacity and reduce waiting times across services, including diagnostic and treatment pathways.

The 2026-27 Scottish Budget provides a record £22.5 billion for health and social care, alongside an additional £100 million to build on progress made through the Operational Improvement Plan. This investment will support the creation of additional NHS capacity and further reductions in waiting times, particularly for those who have been waiting the longest.

Through this investment and ongoing engagement with NHS boards, we are supporting improvements to referral, diagnostic and treatment pathways, including for patients referred to sleep services, with the aim of reducing waits and improving timely access to assessment and treatment for conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea.

While the Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce a national grant scheme for the reinstatement of traditional shopfronts, we continue to support the regeneration of town centres through significant investment. In 2026-27, up to £40 million capital investment will support regeneration activity, including the repurposing of vacant buildings, revitalisation of town centres and initiatives to accelerate town centre living.

No formal review has been undertaken of the provision of sexual health clinics in rural areas. It is the responsibility of NHS Boards to ensure appropriate provision of services within their region.

As part of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Action Plan (2023 to 2026), Scottish Government officials carried out a programme of local area visits across all NHS Boards in Scotland. The purpose of these visits was to identify barriers to delivery and opportunities for improvement, including challenges associated with the provision of sexual health services in rural areas.

These visits have now concluded, and the learning and insights gathered will help inform the development of future sexual health policy, including the next Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Action Plan.