Chamber and committees

As of 23 December Public Health Scotland are publishing weekly vaccination statistics on their website. As further vaccination data becomes available, PHS will consider expanding their reporting in line with this.

We have written to Health Boards asking that they secure a daily workforce of c. 1,700 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) vaccinators and c.970 support staff, with a view to delivering 400,000 doses per week by the end of February.

Publication of the National Protocols for COVID-19 Vaccines on 21st January, authorises and enables retired unregistered and returning staff to administer the vaccines. It also extend the groups of healthcare professionals who are authorised to vaccinate, with appropriate education, training and supervision.

More than 8000 vaccinators are currently registered on the vaccination management tool, and at least 640 GP Practices are already actively involved in the programme. We are currently engaging with Health Boards regarding the composition of this workforce.

Information for individuals that want to offer their support to the vaccination programme is available at: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on offering support - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Publication of the National Protocols for COVID-19 Vaccines on 21st January, authorises and enables retired unregistered and returning staff to administer COVID-19 vaccinations. These individuals can now apply for specific vaccinator roles advertised on the NHS Scotland Recruitment website, with applications routed directly to local Health Boards.

We have engaged with Health Boards regarding those individuals who have intimated an interest in re-entering the health and social care workforce via our Accelerated Recruitment Portal (ARP). We have provided 188 prospective vaccinators to Boards through this route.

In addition, we have already provided all NHS Scotland boards with access to the GMC and NMC emergency registers of qualified healthcare workers. We are writing to regulators to signpost our guidance for onward dissemination to registrants interested in a role within the programme.

Yes, Community Pharmacists and members of the pharmacy team can be involved in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The community pharmacy network across Scotland continue to play a key role in the NHS response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is vital that they ensure that that patients continue to have their medicines safely dispensed and providing accessible healthcare advice through the NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service.

Ferguson Marine has no staff who have their main domicile outwith the UK.

Ferguson Marine has always complied with Scottish Government guidelines on Covid-19 and has worked closely with trades unions to make sure there are robust measures in place, and these have limited in-yard transmission to a single case since work at the yard restarted in June 2020.

Separately, management suspended production at the yard to undertake a full review of the Covid-19 prevention measures in place and to reconfigure the workplace amenities/canteen to comply with revised social distancing requirements. Both Scottish Government and Fergusons management remain fully committed to ensuring that Fergusons continues to provide the safest possible working environment for its people.

Initial capitalisation is through Financial Transactions, this includes budget of £490 million for precursor investment allocated between 2018-21 which includes £220m in this year’s budget. The Bank’s first investment is £12.5m in M Squared Lasers and more information is available here, https://www.thebank.scot/media-centre/first-minister-launches-scottish-national-investment-bank/ .

Decisions about the precise mix and source of capital that will deliver the full £2 billion for the Bank will be made in light of future budget settlements and other calls on the Scottish Government’s capital programme.

There are no current plans to make face coverings mandatory in outdoor public settings however, the Scottish Government will continue to review what measures can be used, in line with the emerging scientific and clinical advice, to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

Other than the most essential journeys, people should not be travelling by car between Scotland and other parts of the UK or between local authority areas. While operational matters are for the Chief Constable, Police Scotland have been clear that they will continue to operate under the principle of policing by consent and adopt a common sense approach to enforcing the law.

Visible police patrols will act as a deterrent and, in the event that people breach the restrictions, Police Scotland will uphold the law using the same 4E’s approach that they have adopted since the start of the pandemic whereby they will Engage, Explain, Encourage and only then Enforce to protect public health. As well as supporting people to follow the regulations, officers will encourage them to take personal responsibility.

Officials have now updated the draft guidance to address concerns raised, and plan to carry out a short consultation in February 2021. It is expected that the consultation will last for approximately three weeks, and following collation and analysis of the responses the final guidance will be issued for immediate effect.