- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 11 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the new methodology for reporting NHS waiting times statistics announced by Public Health Scotland on 28 October 2025, which NHS boards are yet to switch to this new methodology, and what assessment it has made of the reliability and utility of waiting times statistics while NHS boards are switching between two different reporting methodologies.
Answer
Public Health Scotland (PHS) implemented the changes to the national data mart to ensure consistency in reporting of Accredited Official Statistics across all health board data for Stage of Treatment waiting times, aligned with the Waiting Times Guidance 2023.
For local reporting of Stage of Treatment waiting times, the implementation of the new reporting methodology requires a software update, which Boards are gradually implementing. All NHS Boards are working closely with their software suppliers to agree a suitable switchover date. To date, one Board has successfully enabled the updated functionality, and further Boards are expected to apply the guidance through software updates over the coming months.
PHS has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of the impact of moving from the previous reporting methodology to the new approach, ensuring that any differences are fully understood and managed. Original PHS estimates are in line with the impact on official statistics, however PHS is unable to verify how system upgrades have impacted the calculations on local systems.
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 11 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what preparation has taken place with NHS boards to implement changes to the reporting of NHS waiting times statistics, as announced by Public Health Scotland on 28 October 2025, and over what time period this preparation took place.
Answer
The Waiting Times Guidance was published in November 2023, and preparations for implementation began in early 2024. NHS Boards engage on a monthly basis with Public Health Scotland’s Waiting Times Coordinator to provide updates on progress across all aspects of the guidance.
In addition, Health Boards and Public Health Scotland, participate in the Waiting Times Information Group, which meets every two months to discuss changes to the statistics and share best practice. These meetings have included presentations from system suppliers to support implementation. The next meeting of this group is scheduled to take place later this month.
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Public Health Scotland’s Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme 2025 annual national report, which shows that none of Scotland’s NHS boards have achieved the target standard of at least 80% of stroke patients receiving the most basic levels of stroke care, which is also known as "the stroke care bundle", when first admitted to hospital.
Answer
We expect NHS Health Boards to identify aspects of their stroke services which do not meet the Scottish Standards and to work to improve their standards of care locally.
We know that meeting the Standards is challenging. That is why the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme team, reflecting on the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme 2025 annual national report, continue to work with individual boards and plays an important role in supporting service colleagues to drive forward improvements in stroke care throughout Scotland.
Every Health Board now has an accountable senior individual responsible for standards of stroke care. I chaired a roundtable meeting with these accountable individuals on 6 November to review progress.
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 October 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 November 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that NHS boards achieve a standard of 100% of stroke patients receiving the most basic levels of care, which is also known as "the stroke care bundle", when first admitted to hospital, in light of reports of that no NHS board currently achieves the lesser standard of at least only 80% of patients.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to expect NHS Health Boards to work towards achieving the Scottish Stroke Care Standards.
All the standards, and the cohort of patients who will be included in the standards, have been carefully reviewed by the Scottish Stroke Care Audit Steering Group, which represents clinical, management and third sector stakeholders from around Scotland.
The Scottish Government will continue to work with Health Boards and stakeholders to ensure that data is being collected robustly and that patients who could realistically be expected to reach the target are included in the audit. The 100% standard reflects best guideline-based care and should be the goal for all appropriate patients in Scotland.
Information on the Scottish National Audit Programme audit governance process can be found at: Escalation of issues - Our audit governance - Overview of the Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP) - Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP) - Health strategy and outcomes - Resources and tools - Public Health Scotland
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2025
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that Babcock, in Fife, has had to hire workers from overseas as a result of reductions in some college courses.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2025
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland remain above 1,000 for the 12th year in a row.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2025
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Homelessness in Scotland statistics.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2025
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is planning to make any changes to Historic Environment Scotland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2025
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 27 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what funding was in place for the Psychology of Parenting Programme in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.
Answer
The Psychology of Parenting Programme (PoPP) is funded through NHS Education Scotland (NES)’s Parenting workstream, which covers various programmes of work (including PoPP) to support the social, emotional and behavioural development of infants, children, young people and their families. In financial year 2023-24, the Scottish Government allocated £633,040 to NES to support the Parenting workstream, with a further £571,542 issued in 2024-25.
- Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 4 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the concerns raised in the report, Reimagining Secure Care Final Report: A Vision for the Reimagined/Future World, regarding inadequate mental health provision for children in secure care, and how it plans to ensure access to consistent, trauma-responsive services.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the need for effective partnership working across all relevant sectors, including health, to optimise the outcomes of secure care placements and to ensure children have continued access to the care and support in environments that are best suited to their individual needs.
The Scottish Government’s response https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-response-reimagining-secure-care-report/pages/8/ to the reimagining secure care report, published 26 June, sets out the government’s long-term focus to improve the coordination and integration between different parts of the child care system, including mental health. Page 22 of the response sets out a range of actions underway to strengthen the provision of mental health support for children, including:
- Funding of just under £3.5 million in 24-25 across the West, East and North of Scotland to support the planning and development of regional elements of the CAMHS Service Specification. This includes the development of a four-bed Adolescent Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit (IPCU) in the West of Scotland and the development of Learning Disability, Forensic CAMHS and Intensive Home Treatment CAMHS services and regional pathways.
- This includes funding to the West of Scotland, led by NHS GGC, to establish regional CAMHS pathways for those children and young people with forensic needs, in line with the requirements set out in the National CAMHS Service Specification. This funding will support the planning and development of community Forensic CAMHS and CAMHS in Secure Care services and regional pathways.
- As part of this, the West of Scotland regional planning team have developed a regional specification supporting both the FCAMHS and FCAMHS to secure care pathways and will progress to implementation stage once governance and financial arrangements are agreed in coming months.
- The development of the National Secure Adolescent Inpatient Service (NSAIS), known as Foxgrove commissioned by National Services Division, will initially provide four beds for children and young people aged 12-18 years who require psychiatric care in an inpatient setting with medium levels of security. Foxgrove is due to open at the end of 2025.
These will be vital additions to children and young people’s mental health services in Scotland, providing appropriate care and treatment in the right place at the right time, which in turn will support improved mental health care for children and young people in secure care facilities and could reduce psychiatric admission to non-specialist wards and avoid unnecessary admission to psychiatric inpatient care.
