Chamber and committees

The information requested relating to (a) Aspergillus, (b) Pneumocystis jirovecii, (c) Staphylococcus epidermidis and (d) COVID-19 cases by hospital site is not centrally held by the Scottish Government. This information is held locally for local learning and quality improvement and can be sourced by contacting [email protected].

The following table shows the number of cases submitted for annual invasive cervical cancer audits in the years from 2014 until 2018, which are the years where full data is available. For the year 2019 five health boards have provided data and 129 cases were reported; in 2020, one health board submitted 16 cases. The audit schedule for the 2019 period was affected by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on services as staff were redeployed to Covid duties. A catch-up schedule has been put in place to audit 2019 cases at the same time as 2020 cases and these will be reviewed this year. It is important to note that the cases are assembled annually and reviewed by a multidisciplinary team within each Health Board.

We have provided additional funding to NHS Boards where required to support prioritised care for individuals affected by the incident within the cervical screening programme.

Four Boards have requested funding to provide additional clinics as follows:

• Lanarkshire - £28,000
• Lothian - £8,098
• GGC - £5,000
• Fife: £2,700

No other Boards have requested funding, but we will keep the situation under review and will provide further funding if needed. Additionally, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, who are helping support the response with their Helpline, have also received funding from the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Information on how many NHS dental consultations were emergencies is held with the individual dentist. However, the overall number of NHS dental consultations can be found on Public Health Scotland at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments-statistics-as-at-march-2020/ .

Validated information on referrals to NHS dentals hospitals is not held centrally.

However the member may find it useful to know that information relating to outpatient activity including total number of attendances by NHS Board and location of treatment can be found in the Acute Hospital Activity publication using the link below.

https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/4991/table-1-outpatient-activity-consultant-led.xlsx.

Invasive cervical cancer audits have been carried out annually by Health Boards for at least the last 20 years, although a new national methodology to standardise the information collected was introduced in 2014. These audits review the screening histories of people who develop invasive cervical cancer.

The British & Irish Lions rugby match was a flagship event approved by the Scottish Government through an events gateway process. Flagship events are internationally significant events which maintain Scotland’s longer-term profile as a host of major events, with an eye to recovery from the pandemic, and with appropriate Covid-19 mitigations in place. There are a very small number given the quite high bar of international significance.

Scottish Rugby submitted a comprehensive spectator proposal that was considered by Scottish Government Clinicians and the Chief Medical Officer before it was approved to enter the gateway process by the First Minister. The proposal for 25% capacity at Murrayfield was based on a fixed seating plan with seats sold in singles which required an exception for a reduction in physical distancing. Clinicians were satisfied with the comprehensive and robust plans that Scottish Rugby and the British Lions had in place and with the public health measures to help keep people safe. The proposal was considered at local level by City of Edinburgh Council at Event Planning & Operations Group Meetings which was also attended by others including Police Scotland and NHS Lothian.

It was made clear that fans should take a lateral flow test before attending to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Flagship events provide an opportunity to monitor and learn from events operating with reduced physical distancing and a comprehensive range of mitigations like maximising points of entry and staggered arrival times to ensure that fans could attend safely for this outdoor event. The Scottish Government and event organisers will use this knowledge to support the wider restart of events across Scotland.

An adverse event involving a very small number of women in a single NHS Board area was identified by the Board in the course of conducting its annual audit into invasive cervical cancers in December 2020. NHS National Services Division became aware of the incident in one NHS Board on 26 February 2021. They subsequently established an Adverse Event Management Team (AEMT), which met for the first time on 9 March 2021 to assess the implications for the wider screening programme and determine further action. Immediate control measures were put in place to prevent any new exclusions from being applied incorrectly. Scottish Government officials were also informed of the incident on 9 March and attended the AEMT meeting.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Information on the number of NHS dental consultations can be found on Public Health Scotland at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments-statistics-as-at-march-2020/ .

The UK Government has proposed creating a separate Warm Home Discount scheme for Scotland that does not take account of current levels of need or the definition of fuel poverty as decided by the Scottish Parliament. We have urged the UK Government to reconsider their proposals on this basis and review their use of levy funding more generally. These proposals will increase charges on everyone's energy bills but this does not reflect every household's ability to pay.

Given that UK Ministers believe that a reformed scheme is needed in England and Wales, Scottish Ministers have proposed a simpler, fairer and more flexible fuel poverty scheme for Scotland. As set out in our draft Heat in Buildings Strategy, we believe that combining the current Energy Company Obligation and Warm Home Discount schemes would provide the flexibility needed to target the different needs of Scottish communities and reflect the will of the Parliament.

The Scotland Act (2016) does not provide powers for Scottish Ministers to simply change these levy funded schemes. In all circumstances the approval of the Secretary of State would be required for any changes to be implemented. Scottish Ministers cannot meaningfully consult about the design of a proposed Scottish scheme or engage with the Parliament on this basis.