Chamber and committees

Data on the number applications and accepted applicants is collected and published by the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).

To note:

• Applicants ’ are able to make up to 5 applications to study at Universities across the UK when applying through UCAS.
• An ‘ Accepted Applicant ’ has been made an offer, met the conditions of the offer and accepted a place to study from one of their applications.
• Tables include ‘Pre-clinical medicine’ and ‘Others in Medicine & Dentistry’ due to changes in UCAS subject coding in 2017.

The latest End of Cycle data can be found below.

Main Scheme Applications through UCAS to study Medicine at Scottish Providers

The initial contract to develop the NHS Scotland Covid Status App was awarded to Netcompany through fair and open procurement at a cost of £600,000. Netcompany is a Danish firm who have developed the Coronapas App for Denmark and the NHS Covid Pass for England and Wales.

The NHS Scotland Covid Status App continues to be developed, with further features and functions added, we will therefore set out the total cost in due course.

While the Scottish Government strongly encourage care home staff to take up the vaccine, we have no plans to make vaccination mandatory for social care staff.

Whilst we strongly encourage those eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccination to do so, the decision is one of personal choice, and we have no current plans to introduce mandatory vaccination, or to impose any penalties relating to this.

Employers should be aware that care home staff working in Scotland are not mandated to receive the vaccine. Each employer will need to consider their own specific circumstances and make sure their approach is consistent with their own existing obligations and relevant legislation.

The Scottish Government have been clear and consistent that whilst we strongly encourage those eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccination to do so, the decision is one of personal choice, and we have no current plans to introduce mandatory vaccination, or to impose any penalties relating to this. It is for each employer to consider their own specific circumstances and make sure their approach is consistent with their own existing obligations and relevant legislation.

We will continue to work together and engage with care home providers, staff and health boards across Scotland, to further encourage acceptance of the coronavirus vaccine to protect staff and residents.

The seasonal flu vaccination programme started on 6 September and will run until March 2022. This year it is the biggest ever flu vaccination programme in Scotland reaching over 4 million people. So far, to the end of week 44, Public Health Scotland has reported that a total of 1,451,857 individuals, among different eligible cohorts, have received the influenza vaccine.

Flu vaccinations have started for those over the age of 70 years, and those at the highest clinical risk from flu. Flu vaccinations have also started for pregnant women, preschool children as well as primary and secondary pupils. Adults aged 60 years to 69 years and those aged 16 years plus with underlying health conditions have started receiving vaccination appointment letters. A portal has been launched for adults aged 50 years to 59 years, unpaid carers 16 years plus and adult (16 years plus) household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals allowing those groups to book flu appointments online ahead of flu season.

Health Boards have already commenced recruitment activity to meet the commitment to recruit an additional 1,000 Health and Care Support staff at AfC Bands 2, 3 & 4 to provide additional capacity across a variety of services both in the community and in hospital settings. Funding of up to £15 million is being provided in-year to fully fund all costs associate with recruitment to these posts. We are directly supporting boards to fill these posts as quickly as possible within that time frame, through securing an accelerated pre-employment process and supporting the delivery of employability initiatives such as the ‘Skills Boost for Health Care’ training for staff new to health and care.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03618 on 8 November 2021. 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

Public Health Scotland have confirmed that a hot debrief is guidance and not mandatory. The Incident Management Team therefore did not completed a hot debrief relating to the COVID-19 outbreak at the Nike Conference. Public Health Scotland have, however, published the Incident Management Team Report relating to this event. Learning around Covid-19 is a continuous process and findings such as this report inform the wider response to the pandemic in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has never received an offer from the UK Government to adapt its app to support our needs. It is appropriate that we design a scheme that is right for Scotland, works in our context, and offers us the flexibility to adapt to our changing circumstances.

Correspondence from MSPs should routinely be answered by Scottish Government Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers. The Health and Social Care portfolio has experienced a huge and unprecedented increase in correspondence over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has impacted particularly on the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport. The pandemic saw a 2700% increase in volume of correspondence for these portfolios and the two portfolios combined currently deal with 49% of all correspondence across the Scottish Government.

To enable MSPs to receive timely responses in these exceptional circumstances, much of the correspondence previously signed by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport is being reviewed on their behalf by Scottish Government Deputy Directors. This arrangement is under continuous review and Ministerial Responses will resume as soon as volume and circumstances allow. The Scottish Government will keep MSPs informed of any further changes to this process.