Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21068 on‎ 14 September 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Information on future releases of Official Statistics by the Scottish Government can be accessed at: Official statistics: forthcoming publications - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . This shows that publication of the next set of results for the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) has been pre-announced for November 2023. This is consistent with the recent answer to question S6W-18049 on 2 June 2023, which stated that the next SCJS results would be published in the autumn. We will publicise the exact date in November through both the aforementioned document as well as through the Scotstat network. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs has three scheduled meetings per year with representatives from the Scottish Police Federation and met with them on 21 December 2022, 10 May 2023 and next scheduled for 21 September 2023. The Scottish Police Federation also meet regularly with senior Scottish Government officials.

Police pay is not discussed in these meetings as negotiations take place through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland. I am delighted that an agreement has now been reached in police officer pay negotiations for 2023-24.

The new Small Business Unit will be scoped out as part of a new Business and Better Regulation Directorate that will be formed from 18 September. Budget allocations will be finalised following budget planning work now underway.

The Scottish Government recognises that social prescribing can be an effective method of improving an individual’s physical, mental and social health. It plays an important role in helping us achieve our commitment to prevention, holistic care and Realistic Medicine. Our Primary Care Community Link Worker programme has been in place since 2014 and a 2017 commitment to create 250 Community Link Worker posts in general practice has been achieved.

Due to the wide range of activity which is described as social prescribing, there are many Scottish Government policies and resources which play a role in supporting its delivery. For example, we recognise the important role played by local organisations in supporting the health and wellbeing of their communities and we are working with the community and voluntary sector to look at how we can enhance the capacity of the sector to help those organisations address the challenges they face. The ongoing development by the ALLIANCE of the ALISS online database helps to provide information on community resources and our Green Health Partnership programme led by NatureScot helps to promote the connection between health and the natural environment.

The Scottish Government has invested significantly in social prescribing through Community Link Workers within general practice. Funding for Community Link Workers in general practice is included within the Primary Care Improvement Fund. Health and Social Care Partnerships decide how to use their Primary Care Improvement Fund allocation to develop local Multi-Disciplinary Teams which incorporate link worker roles.

The Scottish Government also provides funding to Voluntary Health Scotland to manage the Scottish Community Link Worker Network. The aim of the network is to create a space for community link workers in primary care settings in Scotland to come together to share learning and to develop, network and support each other in order to improve outcomes for their patients and communities. Funding is also provided to the Scottish Social Prescribing Network to support those who are undertaking link worker/social prescribing roles in other local schemes.

Ensuring healthcare professionals have the appropriate knowledge and understanding to provide care to the required standard remains the responsibility of local NHS Boards.

To monitor the provision of education within stroke services, the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme reviews ask NHS Boards to demonstrate how they are actively upskilling and maintaining the knowledge of their stroke workforce. The criteria for demonstrating the development of a skilled and knowledgeable stroke workforce have been expanded, based on recommendations made in the Progressive Stroke Pathway. The full criteria can be found in Annex A of the Stroke Improvement Plan at: Stroke Improvement Plan .

The Scottish Government Published the Stroke Improvement Plan in June 2023, which considers the recommendations made in the Progressive Stroke Pathway and sets out the Scottish Government Policy on Stroke. An update on the recommendations made in section 5 of the Progressive Stroke Pathway, produced by the National Advisory Committee for Stroke (NACS), is as follows.

Awareness raising:

• Priority two of The Stroke Improvement Plan, published June 14, 2023, commits the Scottish Government to establishing the current degree of public understanding of stroke symptoms and the action required, and whether certain at-risk groups require different messaging.
• The Stroke Improvement Plan also commits the Scottish Government to supporting the delivery of Face, Arms, Speech, Time (FAST) campaigns, ensuring this messaging reaches all at-risk groups.
• We will work with third sector organisations and health marketing colleagues to consider the most effective way of raising public awareness, including the less common symptoms of stroke

Pre-hospital assessment:

• The Stroke Improvement Plan commits Scottish Government to supporting Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) in exploring the feasibility of using video call technology prior to arrival of ambulance resource to diagnose hyperacute strokes more accurately.
• SAS is progressing the development of a quality improvement initiative for operational ambulance crews to receive clinical feedback regarding diagnostic accuracy and the application of FAST.
• Work being undertaken to re-align NHS24 and SAS clinical pathways for suspected stroke patients to ensure consistent levels of response in-line with Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) coding.
• In collaboration with NHS Tayside, SAS is progressing work to evaluate the use of the Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS) stroke screening tool.
• SAS is undertaking a comprehensive review of linked clinical data to understand link between clinical outcomes and priority dispatch coding, to ensure the most appropriate use of resources for patients most likely to benefit from thrombolysis and/or thrombectomy.

Appropriate referral:

• The appropriate referral of patients experiencing stroke events, including those with acute ongoing symptoms, resolved symptoms and stroke-like events remains the responsibility of clinicians managing their care.
• Through the National Thrombectomy Planning Board (NTPB) work is being undertaken to ensure there is a robust process for appropriate referrals of patients who may benefit from thrombectomy procedures in one of the three thrombectomy hubs across Scotland.

Driving advice and secondary prevention:

• Since the publication of the Progressive Stroke Pathway, the criteria by which NHS Boards’ stroke service provision is assessed in Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme reviews has been expanded.
• NHS Boards should be able to demonstrate that the provision of tailored driving and return to driving advice is embedded in their stroke service.
• The revised Scottish Stroke Improvement programme review criteria stipulate that NHS Boards should be able to demonstrate that TIA services ensure the provision of driving advice to all patients.
• The revised Scottish Stroke Improvement programme review criteria also stipulate that NHS Boards should demonstrate pathways in place for the commencement of appropriate secondary prevention in patients presenting with TIA or minor stroke.
• We will work with third sector organisations and health marketing colleagues to consider the most effective way of raising public awareness, including the less common symptoms of stroke

Ministers are offered a SG mobile telephone on appointment. Our records show costs per year as follows:

2018-19 - £2,210

2019-20 - £3,802

2020-21 - £1,490

2021-22 - £1,463

2022-23 - £10,957

HM Treasury budgeting rules, with which the Scottish Government must comply, are very clear that it is not possible to use capital budgets to support current spending. All the capital budget will be used to support capital spending in the 2023-24 financial year.