Chamber and committees

All of the services highlighted in the question, apart from social care in prisons, must or can currently be delegated to integration authorities. The Independent Review of Adult Social Care recommended the formation of a National Care Service, and the reform of Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) to take full responsibility for commissioning and procurement of adult social care. Despite the Independent Review’s focus on adult services, it also highlighted integrated arrangements worked especially well where all social care, social work, and community based healthcare were delegated to the greatest extent, and highlighted potential dangers of fragmentation of services if a National Care Service was only developed for adult social care services.

The Review’s recommendations were based on extensive evidence gathering and engagement, as summarised in the evidence paper published alongside the main report. We have carefully analysed the Independent Review, including its evidence and recommendations, in order to develop proposals for the National Care Service.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on the scope of the National Care Service. All responses to the consultation and engagement events will be carefully analysed to inform the Government’s position on what services will be included in the remit of the National Care Service.

The proposals contained in the National Care Service consultation paper are based on the findings of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care (IRASC), which engaged extensively with people and organisations who have lived experience of using social care, including unpaid carers as well as trade unions, providers in the third sector and charitable organisations, and staff from local authorities. The IRASC met with over 1,000 people in total.

Prior to the election, Scottish Government and COSLA published a Joint Statement of Intent outlining how we would work together to deliver a number of areas in the IRASC. This covered topics including fair work, non-residential charging, overhaul of eligibility criteria and support for unpaid carers. There has been ongoing engagement with COSLA to take forward the Joint Statement.

We regularly meet and engage with stakeholders and partners, including trade unions, carers organisations, third sector organisations and professional bodies as part of our work to improve social care. A programme of formal engagement with relevant stakeholders is taking place during the consultation period, and engagement will continue after the consultation has closed.

The Scottish Government are continuing to progress work on a draft NPF4 and will lay it in the Scottish Parliament in Autumn 2021. Public consultation will run alongside Parliamentary scrutiny.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring there is resilience and capacity in the health and social care system to aid us in our mobilisation, support staff to recover from previous COVID-19 waves, and to manage the need to remain vigilant against any future wave.

The most recently published data indicates a total of 258,269 patients were seen at new outpatient appointments during the first quarter of 2021. This is down 20.4% from the same period in 2020, prior to implementation of social distancing restrictions. At 31 March 2021, 48.1% of those waiting for a new outpatient appointment had been waiting 12 weeks or FEWER. This IS down from 74.4% in the same period in 2020. At 31 March 2021,184,224 new outpatients had experienced ongoing waits greater than 12 weeks, up 177.8% from the same period in 2020 (66,325).

It is difficult to quantify the impact that the two-metre social distancing restrictions have had on capacity and throughput in outpatient settings, not least because of the differences in Wave one where elective services halted and Wave two where services began to remobilise. In addition to this there is considerable variance in the layout, structure and fabric of NHS facilities across Scotland.

Whilst the two metre distancing restrictions will have played a part in capacity and throughput, other factors will also have influenced them. These include bed closure, staff absences (including those who have been deployed elsewhere to assist with the pandemic or were shielding) and throughput lost to other IPC controls, which include removal of beds to reduce potential risk of COVID-19 transmission.

There has been a change in the way services have been delivered in outpatient settings, for example – staggered waiting times to avoid overcrowding within these areas/ reduce footfall, one-way access/egress and the use of Near Me where possible to avoid face to face consultations.

From 9 August, national guidance was updated to remove physical distancing requirements in most settings. This, however, did not extend to health and social care settings.

On 11 August, the Chief Nursing Officer Directorate (CNOD) commissioned NSS Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated infections (ARHAI) and Public Health Scotland (PHS) to review current Infection Prevention and Control guidance as a matter of urgency, with a view to implementing a step by step reduction of physical distancing in non-clinical/para-clinical areas. ARHAI and PHS produced draft guidance which went out for consultation with key stakeholders including NHS Chief Executive Officers on 18 August with a closing date of 19 August.

ARHAI and PHS are currently drafting updated guidance which will issue to boards once this has been formalised.

The Scottish Government currently only allows travellers returning from green and amber list countries to use NHS Covid-19 tests.

These home PCR kits are sold at a fixed price and can be booked through CTM, the UK Government’s booking portal for international travel.

Wales currently also only allow use of NHS Covid-19 tests, booked through CTM and have the same fixed pricing structure as offered in Scotland.

SEPA has the ability to carry out enforcement and investigatory activity in relation to compliance with the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) Regulations of businesses based outside Scotland, although their powers will not be as extensive as they would be in relation to those with a presence in Scotland.

SEPA has the power to cancel the registration of a producer that has failed to comply with its obligations under the DRS Regulations. That would make it an offence for anyone to sell their scheme articles to a consumer in Scotland.

SEPA works to an enforcement policy that sets out a wide range of tools at its disposal. SEPA is currently drafting a compliance strategy to support Scotland's DRS. SEPA will use all the tools available to it to ensure compliance with the DRS Regulations and a level playing field are achieved for businesses.

The information requested is contained in the following table:

It is not possible to know how many factors have been operating without registration each year.

Where the Scottish Ministers are made aware of a property factor operating without registration we will take action where there is evidence to support the allegation.

Operating as a factor without registration is a criminal offence and as such the investigation of such matters is for Police Scotland. Where concerns have been raised with the Scottish Government and we believe these require investigation by the Police, we will provide information of these concerns to the Police and cooperate with their investigations. We would encourage any property owner who considers that their factor is operating without registration to report the matter to Police Scotland.

A review of the energy standards of the Scottish building regulations is currently under way. This is considering options to further improve the energy performance of both new residential developments and all other new buildings. It also considers the energy performance requirements where relevant new construction work is carried out to existing buildings.

The consultation can be accessed at:

Scottish Building Regulations: Proposed changes to Energy Standards and associated topics, including Ventilation, Overheating and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure - Scottish Government - Citizen Space (consult.gov.scot) .

The new energy performance requirements are programmed to take effect in 2022.