Chamber and committees

Regrettably, a start date for the review is not confirmed at this time. It is important that the review of the guidance on patient travel expenses reimbursement is considered within the context of wider reform on access to health care which is already in progress. This will inform both how and when the review is taken forward.

In 2023 we prepared the draft Transport to Health plan and have been engaging with Health Boards, Regional Transport Partnerships and other partners to take forward a range of commitments to improve joined up working on transport to health. The plan will be published this Autumn and a workplan has been agreed.

We remain firmly committed to tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss across Scotland. However, we are also taking on very significant additional financial pressure following decisions made at a UK level, and the Finance Secretary has been clear that painful choices have had to be made. The Scottish Government will work with local authorities to understand and, where feasible within depleted resources, mitigate the impacts of this situation.

Scottish Government funding of over £2.5m has been committed to support the mental health and wellbeing of health and care staff in 2024-25. These resources include a 24/7 compassionate listening service, confidential mental health treatment through the Workforce Specialist Service and access to psychological therapies and interventions.

Prioritising these treatment and therapeutic programmes reflects our commitment to offer care and support to those staff suffering from burnout, stress, anxiety and other conditions. In addition, the National Wellbeing Hub offers a range of self-care wellbeing resources and signposting to relevant mental health and support services.

Regrettably, a start date for the review is not confirmed at this time. It is important that the review of the guidance on patient travel expenses reimbursement is considered within the context of wider reform on access to health care which is already in progress. This will inform both how and when the review is taken forward.

In 2023 we prepared the draft Transport to Health plan and have been engaging with Health Boards, Regional Transport Partnerships and other partners to take forward a range of commitments to improve joined up working on transport to health. The plan will be published this Autumn and a workplan has been agreed.

Under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (LRSA) there is a right of responsible non-motorised access to land throughout Scotland with few exceptions. The rights and responsibilities of land managers and those exercising access rights are set out in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, also approved by the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Government is clear that the countryside is a living and working environment and that there is a need to balance the right of the land manager to conduct their activities with the upholding of access rights. I will continue to co-develop future support with our industry and partners to ensure that together we deliver on the outcomes of the Vision for Agriculture.

Although the deaths of the two captive-bred wildcats, who died after their release into Cairngorms National Park, is disappointing, these deaths need to be set in context. They bring the total deaths to date to three from a release of 28 wildcats since last year.

Conditions this year have been more challenging due to poor weather and this year representing a low point in the vole population cycle, which are one of the wildcats’ main prey species.

Some mortality is expected in reintroduction projects (as we would also expect in the wild population), with the current rate at the lower end of what we would anticipate. The survival rate of the wildcats released last year has been much higher than anticipated, and wild births have also increased wildcat numbers in the area.

This is down to the extensive planning and efforts of the Scottish Wildcat Action project and its partners to ensure that released wildcats have the best possible chance of survival following their release. The Saving Wildcats field team closely monitor all of the released wildcats using GPS-radio collars and a network of camera traps, and have been providing them with supplementary food in the weeks immediately after their release.?

A Ministerial Working Group, chaired by myself, has been set up to support the Scottish Government in considering the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 Report and how its 58 recommendations could apply in a Scottish context. Where necessary, we will take further action to address building safety.

The Scottish Government will consider each recommendation and its supporting evidence in order to prepare a response on the matters for which it has responsibility. A report will be prepared by Spring 2025.

Engagement with Ministers in the UK Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Assembly will take place throughout this process.

The Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group defines residential rehab as facilities offering programmes which aim to support individuals to attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle and to be re-integrated into society, provide intensive psychosocial support and a structured programme of daily activities, and which residents are required to attend over a fixed period of time.

The Scottish Government recognises that diversity of treatment options is important to empower individuals to have more choice and to meet the needs of individuals seeking different types of recovery, and this includes taking a person-centred approach to the duration of treatment.

It is the responsibility of the bodies responding to Public Health Scotland to ensure that reporting of residential rehabilitation placements meets this definition.

The UK clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment (UKCGAT) will help to influence the national specification and subsequent overarching guidance for alcohol treatment in Scotland through looking to introduce new approaches to treatment and will apply to a broad range of settings including primary care, hospital and justice settings.

The UKCGAT aims to develop a clear consensus on good practice and help services to implement interventions for alcohol use disorders that are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The intention is to promote and support consistent good practice and improve the quality-of-service provision, resulting in better outcomes, similarly to the Orange Book supporting treatment for drugs misuse and dependency.

Residential rehabilitation services in Scotland are regulated by appropriate governing bodies independent of the Scottish Government; namely the Care Inspectorate, Healthcare Improvement Scotland or the NHS.

It is the responsibility of these bodies to monitor and ensure that residential rehabilitation services are providing safe, quality support to people in recovery across the country.

The Scottish Government are working with regulators and providers to develop and publish a series of “Principles for Residential Rehabilitation” to support regulatory bodies with their evaluation of RR providers, and to empower individuals to understand what they should expect from a stay in residential rehab, including pre-rehab support and appropriate aftercare.