Chamber and committees

As of August 23rd there are 8,220 records flagged receiving 2 doses of mixed COVID-19 vaccine products in the National Clinical Data Store (NCDS).

There are 7,697,632 total records ( first and second doses ) in the NCDS relating to COVID-19 vaccinations therefore this number is 0.11% of records flagged.

The circumstances for these are not recorded.

Data completeness and accuracy checks have not yet been carried out on each of these records, therefore some of these records may be duplicates, or in fact relate to more than a single individual.

The Scottish Government is grateful to everyone who has volunteered for COVID-19 vaccine trials in Scotland. The clinical trials participants have made an important contribution in tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

The digital application to record the COVID-19 vaccine will be available from 30th September. Clinical trial participants who have received a licenced product and are un-blinded will be able to access the application.

Other clinical trial participants will not have access to the application at this time. However, other measures are in place to provide proof of vaccination. This includes a letter of support and subsequently participants will receive a hard copy Record of Vaccination which contains security features and 1-D barcode.

This Record of Vaccination can be used across the UK. In due course, this will be replaced by a QR Record of Vaccination with a QR code.

The Scottish Government are committed to ensuring that these participants are not disadvantaged. Work is ongoing to ensure that vaccine status is correctly presented on the coronavirus vaccine database.

All those individuals who have participated in coronavirus vaccine clinical trials in Scotland, should have already received a letter from their Chief Investigator confirming their involvement. The letter allows them to attend events or access services throughout the UK in the same way as those who are fully vaccinated.

You may find more information on clinical trials on NHS inform: Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination status for clinical trial participants | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot)

There is no data held on reasons for missed or non attendance for COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

In the statistical report for 16th of June 2021, Public health Scotland published a one-off analysis of "did not attend" (DNA ) appointments for the time period between 1 February 2021 and 6 June 2021. In this they found that 18.2% of first dose appointments and 3.9% of second dose appointments had resulted in either a missed appointment or a cancellation. The full report is available here : COVID-19 Statistical Report - 16 June 2021 - COVID-19 statistical report - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Information on the location of vaccinations, cross referenced with the recipients health board, is not held centrally.

There is evidence that achieving the stroke bundle reduces mortality and increases the chance of patients returning to their usual place of residence after stroke.

There are a number of other factors in achieving an acceptable level of care for people with stroke. However, the stroke bundle is a simple metric which has been shown to be associated with improved outcomes. The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme Team will continue to support NHS Boards to achieve the Stroke Bundle as well as supporting improvements across the stroke pathway.

Our Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme is aimed at increasing early diagnosis rates of Scotland’s most common cancers while reducing health inequalities. Following an options appraisal exercise, melanoma was selected as the next tumour type for inclusion in the DCE Programme in 2016.

DCE’s website (getcheckedearly.org) and digital channels help to increase awareness of symptoms of a number of tumour groups, including melanoma, on an ongoing basis. The Programme also works closely with third sector to share patient experience stories, to prompt others to take action.

DCE launched a new overarching campaign – Survivors - in September 2018 to reduce fear of cancer and empower people to act early, if they noticed any possible signs of cancer. The NHS Recovery Plan, published 25 August 2021, commits a further £20 million investment to the DCE Programme which will include additional public awareness campaigns.

In response to the pressures on NHS services caused by the pandemic over the past 18 months, the First Minster launched the NHS Recovery Plan, on the 25 August. The Plan sets out the Scottish Governments key headline ambitions and actions to be developed and delivered now and over the next 5 years.

While it is important to stress that recovery is the immediate task, this Plan is fundamentally about ensuring that the process of recovery focusses on alternatives pathways of care that allow people to be treated more quickly closer to home and also delivers long term sustainability. The plan is backed by more than £1 billion of investment over the next five years.

The figures provided below include patients waiting to have their initial appointment with a consultant (new outpatient) and patients who were waiting to be admitted for treatment (inpatient or day case) within select specialties relating to the question.

In the field of orthopaedic medicine, trauma is categorised as a severe injury to the elements of the musculoskeletal system (muscles, joints, ligaments, bones, and soft tissue). These trauma injuries are often the result of a sudden accident, such as a fall or car accident, and so the patient requires immediate medical attention. Consequently, no waiting times are provided here.

Table 1 shows the total number of patients waiting for a new outpatient appointment across NHS Scotland at 31 May 2019, 31 May 2020 and 31 May 2021, broken down by specialty. Note that 95 th percentile waits have been provided rather than the longest wait as a more robust measure. This is due to the likelihood of the longest wait for each specialty being a data quality issue as opposed to a true waiting time.

Table 1: Total waiting for a New Outpatient appointment and 95 th percentile waits, 31 May 2019, 31 May 2020, 31 May 2021; NHS Scotland

The Scottish Stroke Care Audit does not currently directly measure level of disability at the time of hospital discharge. The stroke improvement team rehabilitation sub group is currently considering future updates to measure rehabilitation service delivery, patient outcomes and experiences.

Rehabilitation is a person centred process. People with ongoing impairment and activity limitations following a stroke are assessed by a multidisciplinary team and their wishes and needs are agreed individually as part of their rehabilitation plan. All patients who require stroke rehabilitation should be offered it. Rehabilitation may be delivered via a variety of inpatient, early supported discharge and community teams

Housing to 2040 is Scotland’s first long-term housing strategy. It sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for housing by 2040, that everyone has access to a safe, warm, affordable and energy efficient home that meets their needs, located in the place they want to be. The strategy needs to be agile and able to respond to future changes, and is in alignment with the Shared Policy Programme agreed with the Scottish Green Party. The updated commitments will be reflected in the governance process and monitoring framework plan for Housing to 2040 that will be established later this year.