Chamber and committees

Information relating to complaints associated with specific medical treatments such as CPR is not collected centrally.

If an individual wishes to raise a complaint about NHS treatment or care this should be addressed at a local level through the NHS Complaints Handling Procedure (CHP). The Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 and supporting legislation, provides a specific right for people to make complaints, raise concerns, make comments and give feedback to NHS Boards. The Act also places a duty on NHS Boards to thoroughly investigate and respond to any concerns raised, to take improvement actions where appropriate and to share learning from the views they receive. Where an individual remains dissatisfied with the outcome of the CHP investigation, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) is the second and final stage in the complaints process.

The Scottish Government Do Not Attempt Cardiovascular Resuscitation (DNACPR) guidance makes clear that the overall responsibility for making an advance decision about CPR rests with the senior clinician who has clinical responsibility for the patient during that episode of care.

This guidance also makes clear that we expect healthcare professionals to discuss treatment options openly and honestly with patients, their families and guardians - where appropriate, to help ensure that they get the care that is right for them given their specific medical circumstances.

For convenience the guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/decisions-cardiopulmonary-resuscitation-integrated-adult-policy/.

The Scottish Government does not centrally collect information or data relating to the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiovascular Resuscitation (DNACPR) forms.

As with all other clinical treatments, decisions about CPR should be based on the individual clinical circumstances and wishes of the patient, recorded appropriately and updated when medical circumstances change. This recording is done in hard copy on a DNACPR form, the existence of which is then recorded on an individual’s Key Information Summary. Such information is only shared for the purposes of direct care and is therefore not centrally collected.

The Covid-19 test kits are home PCR kits provided by NHS Test & Trace. Currently, we are not using private test providers for international travellers arriving into Scotland from green and amber list countries.

We are having on-going discussions with the UK government on using private test providers, particularly about the speed and reliability of the flow of data from private companies. We are keen to understand fully the key performance indicators (KPIs) that have been recently set for these companies and the process should these not be met.

Wastage data is not currently published by Public Health Scotland. However we can confirm for NHS board operated vaccination clinics, wastage is well below our planning assumption of 5%, which is a precautionary approach for worst case scenario planning.

a) Scottish Government set targets for forest creation and for native woodland creation within that. In the current year, 2021, the woodland creation target is 13500 ha and of this 4000 ha will be new native woodlands. Scottish government and its agency Scottish. , do not pre-determine the type of trees that will be planted by landowners that are supported by the Forestry Grant Scheme. There are a number of grant options provided for applicants and landowners in order to help achieve Scottish Government targets and policy priorities. For example, a grant option is provided to enable applicants to create new native woodlands in order to promote biodiversity and meet the targets under the Biodiversity Strategy.

The FGS does not guide applicant’s schemes based on carbon sequestration and species choice. Each scheme is guided by the principles of sustainable forest management as set out in the UK Forestry Standard.

The existing forestry grant scheme works to support the three principle objectives of Scotland’s Forestry Strategy. As of May 2021, conifer and diverse conifers accounted for 58% of the woodland creation programme, broadleaves and small farm woods, 4%, native broadleaf woodlands including native Scots pine, 32% and natural regeneration, 6%.

We have reviewed the border health measures closely over the last 28 days and have assessed that there continues to be a requirement for the regulations to remain in place to reduce the risk of imported transmission and safeguard public health in Scotland. The regulations continue to be an important and proportionate part of the Scottish Government response to managing the pandemic.

The regulations will expire on 20 September 2021, and, whilst the regulations are of course subject to review, it is anticipated that restrictions imposed by the regulations will still be required at that stage. Where possible, it is my intention to lay a new instrument at that time revising and consolidating all amendments to the existing regulations since they came into force in June 2020.

Transport Scotland does not hold data on the percentage of passengers wearing face coverings while using public transport. However, ScotRail advise that the most recent observed levels indicate between an average of 80% and 90% of passengers wearing face coverings. The Confederation for Passenger Transport (CPT), who represent bus operators, advise recent observed levels indicate an average of around 80% of passengers wearing face coverings. In relation to ferries, operators have advised that they estimate that observed levels indicate around 85-95% of passengers wearing face coverings whilst using their services.

The recently observed levels do not include those who may be exempt from wearing face coverings on account of age and health conditions and so the levels of compliance with the regulations will be higher than the observed average percentages of passengers wearing face coverings.

It is vital for the current COVID-19 vaccination programme to reach everyone and that no one is left behind, both for individual health and our collective community wellbeing.

In order to achieve this, we have embedded inclusion as a key aspect of our national programme, working alongside Health Boards and other partners to encourage uptake, remove barriers and respond to evidence of low uptake in certain communities, including those from more deprived areas.

We have worked with Health Boards to map the locations of our vaccination clinics, ensuring that they are accessible for those in more deprived areas, and local partnerships with transport providers has supported people with free travel to appointments, if required.

Health Boards have also adapted their delivery models to ensure they are reaching communities with lower uptake. For example, mobile outreach units have been provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and some Health Boards have partnered with local transport providers to use their vehicles to take out into community settings. Pop-up and drop-in clinics are now being used across the country for those who are unable or unwilling to access the mass vaccination clinics. Health Boards plan the locations of these to suit the needs of their populations, and respond to evidence of lower uptake in certain areas.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19): vaccine deployment plan provides further information on our approach to delivering the vaccine to everyone in our society.

The Scottish Government has committed to the removal of all NHS dental charges in the lifetime of this Parliament.

All dental charges were suspended in the initial period of lockdown through to 31 October 2020. Pregnant women and nursing mothers who required urgent or emergency dental care would still be seen during this period.