Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government remains committed to transparency on this important issue. Since the last update to Parliament on 15 September, I can confirm that:

• As was the case in September, no invasive cervical cancer has been detected in any individuals who were written to over the summer on this issue and who have subsequently attended either for screening or gynaecological exam.
• Work in reviewing exclusions has continued to be prioritise based on risk, and in early autumn, an audit of all records where an obstetric hysterectomy has been performed was carried out. All individuals identified as either having been or likely to have been wrongfully excluded have now been contacted and re-instated in the screening programme or invited for examination as required.
• Work is ongoing to review the remaining exclusions; the NHS is committed to completing this as quickly as possible, and I will update Parliament on progress in due course.
• Dr Karin Denton is a consultant pathologist with North Bristol NHS Trust and leads the laboratory service for Cervical Screening in the South West of England. She has been appointed to chair the Healthcare Improvement Scotland review of the systems and processes of exclusions in the cervical screening programme. It is anticipated that the review findings will be published in autumn 2022.

A number of measures are in place to ensure child witnesses are protected within our justice system. For example, the court can take extra steps, called 'special measures', to help children and young people under 18 give the best evidence they can. Children who are witnesses in criminal courts are automatically entitled to special measures including a screen in the courtroom; a TV link to somewhere outside the courtroom; and a supporter who can sit with the witness while they give evidence. Other measures are available on application to the court. Further information on the support available to witnesses can be found at Help and support - mygov.scot . All criminal justice cases with child witnesses are referred to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Victim Information and Advice (VIA) service. VIA can provide information about the criminal justice system and key developments in the case affecting the witness, discuss any additional support that the witness may require to give evidence and help them make contact with appropriate support organisations.

In addition, from January 2020 Regulations have been in place to ensure that any child witness under the age of 18 giving evidence in the most serious criminal cases in the High Court, will be allowed to have it pre-recorded, sparing them the trauma of giving evidence during a trial, unless it is shown that this would significantly prejudice the interests of justice in the individual case. Last year, the Scottish Government also funded the commencement of the national roll out of a ground-breaking approach to interviews for vulnerable child victims and witnesses in criminal cases. The new Scottish Child Interview Model for Joint Investigative Interviews, conducted by highly trained police officers and social work staff, will deliver an interview process that secures the child’s best evidence at the earliest opportunity and minimises the risk of further traumatisation.

The Scottish Government continues to work with partners, including Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Local Government and the UK Government, to ensure that access to quality data helps to improve our understanding of the employment and training activities undertaken by young people in Scotland.

A key development is the access of Universal Credit data for 16-24 year olds. Since September 2021 this data has been regularly shared by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and is used by SDS and the Scottish Government to monitor activities young people are currently participating in. As a result, employability support work to young people has been better targeted at those who most need it. In addition, SDS have been able to extend the age range of the published snapshot participation measure to 16 – 19 year olds having originally covered 16 – 17 year olds.

However, this analysis could be enhanced with access to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) data which would improve our understanding of the destinations of young people and enable services to maximise the number of young people they support to enter employment, education or training. We will continue to work with SDS to look to establish a data sharing agreement with HMRC.

The Kickstart scheme is a UK Government programme and is operated by the DWP. We will continue to work closely with DWP, who are evaluating the programme, to ensure that this evaluation takes account of how the programme has worked in Scotland and specifically, how it aligned with the Young Person’s Guarantee and existing employability provision. This analysis will be fundamental in future programme design and in improving the accessibility of services for young people and employers.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact that the most recent set of restrictions has had on catering and events businesses and we are engaging with the sector on developing an appropriate package of support. We are working with businesses to develop and deliver funding as quickly and efficiently as possible.

NHS boards are required to make every effort to ensure the safety of patients' belongings while they are in hospital, and to have appropriate security arrangements in place.

This is a matter for NHS Boards who are responsible for providing appropriate clinical care based on an individual's needs. The information requested is not collected or held centrally.

Waiting time statistics on the waits experienced by patients for first appointments with chronic pain services can be found on the PHS website at the following link: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/chronic-pain-waiting-times . Data is available from the quarter ending 31st December 2015 to the quarter ending 30th September 2021.

A set of data tables for the most recent publication, which was released on 14th December 2021, can be found at the link above underneath the sub-heading of ‘Data files’. Table 3 in this file shows the distribution of wait for patients who have been seen for a first appointment with data displayed in 3 week time bands from 0 – 3 weeks up to 52+ weeks. Data for each time band is available as the number of patients and the percentage of patients who experienced that length of wait.

The statistics published in the tables above are based on aggregate data submissions obtained from the 14 NHS Boards. Waiting times experienced by patients are reported as the number and percentage of patients in each time band. An average (mean) waiting time is not calculated.

The Scottish Government would expect all employers to ensure that all staff have the necessary rest breaks and support; and this was re-emphasised by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer in her joint letter with the leaders from the pharmacy sector, including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, to the service on 8 December outlining the importance of wellbeing to all pharmacy staff and detailing support available.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown to us all the value which the pharmacy profession bring to the NHS in Scotland be that hospital, community pharmacy or general practice settings. In particular the pharmacy network has been pivotal in the NHS response to the current pandemic in ensuring people across the country have continued access to their medicines and professional healthcare advice. We take the wellbeing of pharmacy teams very seriously and that is why we have made £12m available to support the wellbeing of the pharmacist workforce. That includes £8m from the NHS Recovery Plan to provide ongoing wellbeing support for the workforce – alongside an extra £4m to provide further support to address winter pressures.

The funding supports the 24/7 National Wellbeing Helpline, our National Wellbeing Hub, Coaching for Wellbeing and the Workforce Specialist Service, alongside tailored psychological interventions for staff, providing individualised wellbeing support focusing on people’s physical and emotional needs.

Wider workforce issues and challenges will be discussed at the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Workforce Forum, which will bring together stakeholders from pharmacy education and pharmacy service provision to set a strategic workforce plan for the profession.

This year the Scottish Government has made £12m available to support the wellbeing of the pharmacist workforce. That includes £8m from the NHS Recovery Plan to provide ongoing wellbeing support for the workforce – alongside an extra £4m to provide further support to address winter pressures.

The funding supports the 24/7 National Wellbeing Helpline, our National Wellbeing Hub, Coaching for Wellbeing and the Workforce Specialist Service, alongside tailored psychological interventions for staff, providing individualised wellbeing support focusing on people’s physical and emotional needs.

The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Scotland in a joint letter, issued 8 December, with the leaders from the pharmacy sector, including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (Scotland), has written to all pharmacy teams outlining the range of wellbeing support available to pharmacy teams and encouraging them to access these resources for support when needed.

The refreshed Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy 2021 to 2026, published in March recognises the importance of defibrillation registration. We are key partners within the Save a Life for Scotland Partnership (SALFS).

We would urge all defibrillator guardians to register their defibrillator so that the Scottish Ambulance Service call handlers can direct people to them in incidents of cardiac arrest. Registration of defibrillators in Scotland will build the evidence to support people and organisations in making informed decisions about where to place their life saving device.