Chamber and committees

We are committed to ensuring those living with endometriosis are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

That is why endometriosis is one of the key priorities in the Women’s Health Plan and will continue to be so.

Information about the progress to date against each of the priorities in the Women’s Health Plan can be found in the Women’s Health Plan Final Report.

In line with Professor Muir’s recommendation, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland is to be staffed by civil servants.

The Chief Inspector, and staff working on the inspection functions (or supporting these) will be employed by the Scottish Government, in line with other HM inspector(ate)s.

The Scottish Government recognises that funding will be required to support Boards to make the transition to a reformed maternity and neonatal service. We are continuing to provide transitional funding to Boards, as we have done for NHS GGC and NHS Lothian since 2019, with additional support for NHS Grampian now being included. This funding is focused on supporting Boards through the transition process.

We have been working with the regional implementation leads on development of plans for implementation to include a business case (or equivalent operational financial plan) with costs, with the expectation that a phased transition to the new model will begin in the new year.

To date, we have provided over £30 million of funding to NHS Boards to support implementation of the Best Start recommendations, and we are currently looking at future funding for maternity services in the next financial year.

Since April 2023, the Scottish Government has published the median time from offence date to verdict date by court type. The most recent data covering 2023-24 reported in the Journey times in the Scottish Criminal Justice System: 2023-24 bulletin, shows the median offence to verdict times figures in supplementary table 4. Further information including median police known to verdict times can be found in the Journey times in the Scottish Criminal Justice System interactive dashboard.

Through the NHS Inform Women’s Health Platform, we have made information on a range of health topics, including endometriosis, available to women online and in one place. Reciprocal connections have been made throughout the platform with other Scottish Government sites such as Parent Club and with third sector organisations including Endometriosis UK and Endo SOS helping to raise awareness of the condition and supporting women to access the information they need when they need it.

In March 2023 we delivered an engagement campaign in partnership with Young Scot to increase young people’s awareness of endometriosis. The campaign primarily targeted those aged 11 to 25 in Scotland and provided information on how to support a young person in the process of diagnosis or who may have endometriosis.

The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) has continued to support the Women’s Health Plan through their dedicated lived experience programme. This has included the development of the conversation café toolkit to encourage information sharing and peer support on women’s health including menstrual health and endometriosis.

We are committed to ensuring those living with endometriosis are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

Through the Women’s Health Plan we are taking steps to support both women and health professionals to learn more about endometriosis, the symptoms and treatment options to improve the diagnostic process. Our Women’s Health Plan 2021 - 2024 Final Report on progress provides further details of our work to date.

When developing the next phase of the Plan we will build on this progress and seek to ensure that all women receive a timely diagnosis for endometriosis together with access to the care and support that they need.

For patients on a waiting list to see a healthcare specialist there is information available on NHS Inform with advice on health and wellbeing whilst they await their appointment. More information can be found at: Waiting well | NHS inform.

In July 2024, Scottish Government commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to deliver the Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) Audit. PHS are actively recruiting to the posts required to deliver it.

Eligibility for, and changes to, the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Scotland has always been based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

In its statement of 8 November 2022 (published in January 2023), the JCVI advised that in 2023 COVID-19 vaccination should move towards a targeted offer during vaccination campaigns to protect those at higher risk of severe COVID-19.

From 30 June 2023, on the advice of the JCVI, we ceased the universal offer of COVID-19 vaccination to the entire population. From that point, only those advised as eligible by the JCVI were invited forward for COVID-19 vaccination during the JCVI-designated seasonal winter and spring campaigns.

The allocation of medical specialty training places is made annually to ensure it meets the needs of the healthcare workforce, recognising that completion of specialty training can take a minimum of 3 to 8 years depending on the specialty. This process is overseen by a group of senior representatives from the Scottish Government, NHS Education for Scotland, professional bodies, and Health Boards. Based on workforce data and service demands, the group makes recommendations to Scottish Ministers regarding any changes needed, including the potential expansion of training places in specific specialties.

The Scottish Government has supported the development of The Endometriosis Care Pathway for NHS Scotland which aims to support healthcare professionals to provide a holistic approach and timely care for those with endometriosis and endometriosis-like symptoms. All NHS Boards should be taking steps to implement the pathway.

To support health care professionals to improve their knowledge and understanding of endometriosis NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has been commissioned to create a bespoke training package and framework focussed on menopause and menstrual health, which includes endometriosis, for healthcare professionals in Primary Care.

The Scottish Government has also worked with NHS Education for Scotland to deliver an endometriosis masterclass for health care professionals across Scotland on diagnosis, treatment and current research into endometriosis.

Additionally, through the NHS Inform Women’s Health Platform, we have made a range of information on endometriosis available to women online. This has included the Endometriosis UK Pain and Symptom Diary as well as access to a self-help tool on periods and mental wellbeing.

A menstrual health symptom questionnaire has also been developed by NHS Education for Scotland and is available through the TURAS platform for healthcare professionals to share with women. It will also be available for women to access directly via the NHS Inform Women’s Health Platform shortly.