Chamber and committees

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) does not publish the number of applications at this level.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) does not provide the number of acceptances at this level.

However the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) provides the number of medicine students entering university each year. This is broken down by institution for Scottish domiciled students entering first degree pre-clinical medicine in the following table.

Scottish domiciled first degree pre-clinical medicine entrants to Scottish universities

(a) The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) allocates funded places for eligible Scottish domiciled and EU students. I refer the member to Scottish Parliament information Centre (SPICe) Bib number 60970.

In AY 2019-20 the SFC set a minimum core intake target for eligible Scottish domiciled and EU students studying medicine.

(b) The SFC does not allocate funded places for rest of UK or international students, however these students are reflected in the overall intake targets.

A procurement specification for an external evaluation of the Workplace Equality Fund 2018/19 is currently being developed. I expect the procurement process to be finalised in the coming months and an evaluation to start shortly after.

The Workplace Equality Fund 2018-19 has three main outcomes:

1) Employment opportunities and progression in the workplace are improved for the priority groups and improvements are embedded into the workplace to ensure lasting change;

2) Knowledge, skills, policies and practices are improved in order to address employment inequalities, discrimination and barriers/challenges within the workplace; and

3) A more inclusive working environment is created and continued through employees and employers working in partnership to address employment inequalities and introduce positive practices.

The fund administrator, Impact Funding Partners, suggest (based on end of project reports) that 95% of projects have achieved or partially achieved outcome 1, 91% have achieved or partially achieved outcome 2 and 81% have achieved or partially achieved outcome 3.

The Workplace Equality Fund 2018-19 encourages systematic change in organisations by supporting innovative employer-led projects to review and improve their workplace structures, practices and policies to support an inclusive environment and diverse workforce.

Practices have included: the introduction of family friendly flexible working practices that accommodates workers with care or other commitments and improves work-life balance; reviewing and changing recruitment practices such as implementing an online recruitment tool with a rail company that seeks to open up employment opportunities to groups currently locked out of the employment market. This is achieved by removing barriers in the recruitment process such as bias and inequalities in job design to increase the number of women, disabled people and older workers applying for jobs; improved employer and employee knowledge and understanding of disability related issues such as through the launch of RNIB’s ‘Let’s Work Together’ retention pack for workers experiencing sight loss; the implementation of mental health initiatives in organisations such as an equalities toolkit to educate employers with the aim of those with mental health conditions gaining work experience placements, work trials and paid employment, where possible; the implementation of improvement plans and action plans focussing on older workers such as Age Scotland’s Age Inclusive Matrix which is a tool that helps companies ensure they are age optimal to a level necessary for their need; and race equality and unconscious bias training for employers and staff to remove discriminatory practices through capacity building employers to review policies and practices in place.

The examples of support above will help to tackle the inequalities faced by women, older workers, disabled people and ethnic minority people when entering, re-entering and progressing in work.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-24967 on 19 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Life expectancy in Scotland has been increasing in recent decades, and premature mortality rates in the most deprived areas are down 11% since 2007, with the overall rate down 17% for the same period.

The fact that in 2017 improvements in life expectancy stalled for the first time since the 1980s is a concern – one which we believe is exacerbated by UK Government austerity and welfare benefits cuts, and the impact they are likely to have on the poorest and most vulnerable sections of the community.

Health Scotland is leading collaborative work to understand the underlying causes of these trends and their implications for policy.

A Mortality Special Interest Group has been established, hosted by the Scottish Public Health Network (ScotPHN), which is seeking to understand the underlying causes of these trends.

We remain focussed on improving life expectancy across Scotland by pursuing policies which tackle health inequalities and focusses on key issues such as obesity, smoking, inactivity, drug and alcohol – as well as investing in measures such as affordable housing, free prescriptions, free personal care and providing free school meals.

Officials have been in regular contact with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde regarding plans for the future sustainability of the services from the Vale of Leven - in particular the activity around the engagement with key partner organisations including local clinicians, GPs, NHS24 and the Scottish Ambulance Service. I have asked to be kept updated on progress made which aims to make out of hours service at the Vale of Leven more sustainable.

As part of the Waiting Times Improvement Plan we are making available more than £102 million in 2019-20 to increase capacity in the system, of which more than £22 million has been made available to Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board.

The Scottish Government is aware the Paediatric Service at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow is under significant pressure which has resulted in longer waiting times. This investment will enhance capacity through for example, increased staffing, evening and weekend clinics and additional theatre sessions to ensure progress towards delivering the Waiting Times Improvement Plan.

This will contribute towards having a positive impact on waiting times for patients and this investment will see phased and sustained improvement with the aim that no patient will wait more than the waiting standards and guarantee.

Our education system aims to provide young people with experiences and with careers information, advice and guidance to raise awareness of opportunities and support informed choices. Skills Development Scotland, our national skills body, works in partnership with every school and with employers to ensure school pupils can access the support they need to consider their future. Advice is impartial and encourages young people to identify their interests, strengths and aspirations, and in turn identify the career option that is right for them.

In addition, targeted schools programmes have been developed to encourage and support young people into careers in health and medicine in particular.