Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has not conducted a specific analysis of the impact of thrombectomy access on inpatient stroke rehabilitation services in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

The Young Patients Family Fund is a demand-led fund, and the Scottish Government has ensured funding for all eligible claims each year since its launch in 2021. The 2026-27 budget has been set at £3.2 million based on expected demand levels and we remain committed to provide full funding in 2026-27.

The YPFF is designed to support the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care in Scotland, regardless of diagnosis.

Other financial support is available to children and young people with a cancer diagnosis and their families for travel to hospital via the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under those schemes, patients and authorised escorts can reclaim reasonable costs of travel associated with attending a hospital appointment, in line with eligibility criteria and medical requirements.

The Scottish Government keeps the operation and eligibility of the YPFF under regular review, alongside the wider financial support available to patients and families through the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes.

We remain committed to the delivery of a 24/7 thrombectomy service. Public Services Delivery Scotland(PSDS) are obtaining the requisite clinical, planning, financial and staffing information from NHS Boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to understand the requirements to deliver 24/7 thrombectomy availability across Scotland.

NHS Scotland is required to consider the Scottish Health Technologies Group's(SHTG) recommendations. Discussions are underway to understand how those recommendations can inform sustainable, consistent and effective service delivery across Scotland.

Official statistics on the current vacancy rate for consultant psychiatry posts across NHS Scotland can be found on the TURAS data intelligence website.

While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for NHS Scotland, workforce planning and recruitment are, in the first instance, the responsibility of individual NHS Boards. Boards are expected to plan and deliver safe, effective and high-quality care in line with their statutory workforce planning and service delivery responsibilities.

We recognise the ongoing recruitment and retention challenges facing psychiatry and remain committed to working closely with the profession, NHS Boards and other partners to support a sustainable psychiatric workforce. The Psychiatry Recruitment and Retention Working Group reported in 2025. Implementation of agreed recommendations is now underway.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02052 on13 August 2026.

The  Scottish Government provides the overall guidance to NHS Boards for patient travel expenses reimbursement - individual Boards are responsible for developing and applying their own policies, including reimbursement rates, ensuring patient care and safety.

The Patient Travel Expenses Scheme (PTES) is Scotland-wide and provides support to those in receipt of certain benefits. Financial support for travel is available for patients and authorised escorts, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements.

All Boards are expected to support patients and their families in identifying and accessing available support and Board patient travel contacts can provide advice on eligibility and assistance available with bookings and advance payments, where necessary. The costs of the reimbursement schemes are met from Boards’ budgets.

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.

The budgets including NCS costs covering the period 2021-2026 are available on the Scottish Government’s website.

Within the budget for year 2026-27 £50,000 is provisioned for the spend on the on-going running of the National Care Service Advisory Board. This includes the costs of supporting the Advisory Board Who continue to play an active role in shaping the Scottish Government’s delivery of the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.

Cancer remains a national priority for the NHS and Scottish Government which is why we published our ten-year cancer strategy for Scotland in June 2023, focused on improving cancer survival and providing equitable access to treatment.

Continued diagnostic pressure is affecting 62-day performance. This is seen particularly in the high-volume pathways including colorectal, urological and breast cancer pathways.

We have invested £40m over five years to support cancer services and improve waiting times, with a focus on urology, colorectal and breast.

Officials and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery are engaging with boards, including NHS Highland, regularly and continue to scrutinise improvement plans and performance trajectories to ensure they are deliverable, whilst considering how available funding may support additional activity.

The Scottish Government convened a meeting on 24 July with Board Chief Executives and Medical Directors to discuss the current situation in NHS Highland to ensure the risks are being mitigated and the system is working collaboratively to do this.

Whilst this is an operational issue for NHS Highland the Scottish Government remains in close contact with the Health Board at this time.

The Scottish Government is responding to ongoing cost of living pressures being felt by households acros , and we are working towards a consultation on the price cap on essential food items within 100 days of this Government.

We continue to invest in free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice and have maintained investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund, at £41 million this year, alongside £25.5 million of additional investment over the previous two years, helping ensure the Fund remains a vital safety net for households.