Chamber and committees

In 2016, an agreement was reached between Scottish Ministers and COSLA on a new strategic funding plan for flood protection schemes. This agreement ensures that from 2016 to 2026, a minimum of £42 million per annum is allocated for flooding capital grants within the local government settlement. Information is provided below on the schemes funded under that agreement.

There is no single clinical pathway within every territorial NHS board for the management of symptoms relating to long COVID. NHS boards have indicated that a number of clinical pathways are available depending on the presenting needs of the individual patient.

Our Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 makes clear that Mental Health Support forms part of an individual’s basic care. Individuals requiring support should have access to this at the point of clinical need.

To help understand the demand and capacity for cancer related psychological care and support, a national scoping exercise was conducted as part of a Macmillan Psychology and Support Project with findings published in November 2024. The findings are being considered by Scottish Government.

We also published the Psychological Therapies and Support Framework for People Affected by Cancer to support Health Boards in considering the services which should be available to those affected by cancer, including psychological support.

The Framework includes quality statements and self-assessment tools for organisations providing support to benchmark themselves on an annual basis and develop local action plans as appropriate. The benchmarking exercise was carried out across Scotland for the first time in 2024 with Regional Cancer Networks coordinating the activity and Scottish Government looks forward to receiving findings.

Our most recent Detect Cancer Earlier campaign – Be The Early Bird – first launched on March 2023, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. Following successful independent evaluation, the campaign re-ran in September 2023 and August 2024 to prompt health-seeking behaviour.

In parallel, a Detect Cancer Earlier roadshow visited communities across Scotland in March and September 2024 to reinforce key messages, with further activity planned for March 2025.

We continue to work with NHS Scotland to ensure that the NHS Inform website provides cancer information that best meets patient needs, including symptoms and treatments.

Work is ongoing with third sector organisations to support them in any awareness raising efforts within schools, including the provision of Be The Early Bird resources that may be helpful.

Local authorities are responsible for developing and delivering flood protection schemes and the Scottish Government provides funding to support this.

Since 2008, the Scottish Government has made available £42 million per year to local authorities to invest in flood risk management actions – a commitment that is in place until 2026. A further £150million was committed across the course of this parliament.

The information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to keeping our NHS true to its founding principles – publicly-owned, publicly-operated, and free at the point of need.

We have increased funding for oncology services to ensure cancer treatments and appropriate care are more equitably accessible.

We are also currently working in partnership with Macmillan to improve the service we offer patients with cancer through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme. The programme will ensure that every person with cancer in Scotland has access to a specialist key support worker, who can provide financial, emotional and other practical support to those who need it most.

Financial support for travel is also available for patients and authorised escorts, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements. Boards are expected to support patients to identify and access support available, taking account of individual circumstances and ensuring that patient care is at the centre of all decisions.

An initial assessment of the Citizens’ Jury report demonstrates clear alignment with the Scottish Government’s cancer strategy and action plan published in June 2023. The four key priorities identified by the Specialist Cancer Charities Group regarding Diagnosis; Equal access to care; Mental health support; and Improving communication are directly referenced within the ambitions of our strategy.

A meeting is being arranged with the Specialist Cancer Charities Group to discuss their ambitions further.

The information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.

The Annual Reports for the NHS Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS) provide details of the scheme along with the number and value of claims made during each financial year and historical values.

The Annual Reports, which also cover information available in terms of categorisation of claims, are published online at Access annual reports for the scheme | National Services Scotland.