Chamber and committees

The decision about which treatment to prescribe is a clinical decision made by the prescriber in discussion with the patient, taking into account the individual’s condition and medical history.

Guidance is available to assist prescribers and Scottish Government is in the process of reviewing its “Quality Prescribing for Chronic Pain – A Guide for Improvement” which will include information on addressing the issue of over-treatment with a focus on self-management and non-pharmaceutical treatment of long-term conditions, highlighting the issue of high strength opioid medicines misuse and encouraging clinicians to discuss concerns openly with patients.

Over the period covered by the University of Aberdeen study, steroid injections (a commonly used therapeutic option for Osteoarthritis awaiting surgery) were reduced on advice from Royal College of Rheumatology due to the risk of activation of latent Covid 19 and risk of immunosuppression and susceptibility to the virus, this could have led to an increase in opioid pain medication prescriptions to compensate. Analysis from Public Health Scotland (PHS) shows a marked reduction in the number of corticosteroid injections between March 2020 and April 2021 before returning to previous levels. Analysis from PHS, however, does not indicate an overall increase in opioid pain medication prescriptions over the same period.

We will publish the conclusions and recommendations of the City Centre Recovery Task Force this autumn.

We expect businesses to take appropriate action to minimise the risk of transmission (to other employees and to customers) where a member of staff tests positive. Employers should also take appropriate steps and work with Test & Protect to identify any potential close contacts. We expect employers to support staff to self-isolate for the full period required, acknowledging that working from home may be an option.

The Scottish Government, along with public, private and third sector partners and the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) issued a joint statement outlining fair work expectations in July to support the transition out of lockdown. Among its provisions were that no worker should be financially penalised for following medical advice, that any absence relating to COVID-19 should not affect future sick pay entitlement or other entitlements like holiday or accrued time, and that any absence related to COVID-19 should not result in formal attendance related warnings or be accumulated with non-COVID related absences in future absence management figures.

The proposal in the draft Heat in Buildings Strategy, published by the Scottish Government for consultation in February 2021, to establish a Green Heat Finance Task Force has been widely welcomed by stakeholders. This Taskforce, which will be established by the end of 2021, will forge a new partnership approach between the Scottish public sector, heat decarbonisation experts and the financial sector to explore potential new and value for money innovative financing mechanisms for both at-scale and individual level investment in zero emissions heat. The Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust will provide co-secretariat support for the independently chaired Taskforce. Membership and Terms of Reference for the Taskforce will be published by the end of 2021.

The following table shows the number of people diagnosed with dementia and referred for post-diagnostic support from a named Link Worker in financial years 2018/19 and 2019/2020. Information on people diagnosed with dementia who are not referred for PDS is not available centrally.

For 2018/19, 8,021 people equates to approximately 43.4 % of those estimated to have been diagnosed with dementia in that year. Of those referred in 2018/19 for post-diagnostic support, 75.1% received a minimum of one year’s support. Full 2019/2020 figures will be published next year.

Table 1: Number of people diagnosed with dementia and referred for post-diagnostic support by financial year of diagnosis: Scotland: 2018/19 to 2019/20

In the Draft Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in February 2021, we committed to undertaking research to understand the extent to which the deployment of secondary technologies alongside zero emissions heating systems could help to optimise operational performance, minimise energy consumption and reduce end user fuel costs. This research is underway, and seeks to understand the technical feasibility and cost effectiveness of heat batteries, electric batteries, and thermal storage cylinders when installed alongside a range of zero emissions primary heating technologies; both independently of and in conjuncture with microgeneration technologies such as solar PV and solar thermal. We expect to publish this research in early 2022.

Original Covid-19: Guidance on Self-directed Support Options 1 and 2 was published July 2020.

Work is currently underway to refresh the guidance, which supports Local Authority and Health and Social Care Partnership staff who assess, approve and administer social work and social care and support (including carer support), and approve Self-directed Support (SDS) budgets.

The SDS Covid-19 Guidance will remain in place for the duration of the pandemic, to be reviewed by Scottish Ministers at the appropriate time.

It is vitally important that we learn from the experiences we have had during the pandemic. We are continuing to work in close partnership with Social Work Scotland and COSLA. We are also engaging with stakeholders via Self Directed Support Practice Network and SDS Collective, to ensure that the voices of those with lived experience are at the forefront of any future planning and policy making decisions.

Draft guidance for local authorities on overprovision is set out in chapter 3 of the Licensing guidance part 2: supplementary guidance for licensing authorities, letting agencies and platforms . The guidance will be revised and updated working with stakeholders, once the legislation is finalised.

The commitment to investing at least £500m over the life of this Parliament to create a Whole Family Wellbeing Fund is significant. This will enable transformational change which will enable the building of universal, holistic support services available in communities across Scotland giving families access to help when and where they need it, and help Scotland #keepthepromise.

We will work closely with The Promise Scotland and partners across local government, social justice, health, the third sector, and with children and families to design and deliver the Fund. Further details will be provided in due course.

Under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act (2004), all public bodies in Scotland are required to further the conservation of biodiversity when carrying out their responsibilities. The Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act (WANE Act) (2011) introduced a further requirement for all public bodies in Scotland to provide a publicly available report every three years, on the actions which they have taken to meet this biodiversity duty.

Scottish Ministers hold regular meetings with SEPA on their strategic objectives, responsibilities and programmes of work, including pollution control, which are central to addressing the biodiversity crisis.