Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-26931

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings in the Kidney Care UK report, In-centre Dialysis Transport in Scotland, what plans it has to review non-emergency kidney patient transport to and from in-centre dialysis appointments across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-26930

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop a national framework for non-emergency kidney patient transport to and from in-centre dialysis appointments, in light of the findings in the Kidney Care UK report, In-centre Dialysis Transport in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-26929

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings in the Kidney Care UK report, In-centre Dialysis Transport in Scotland, what steps it is taking to reduce any variation between NHS boards in access to free non-emergency kidney patient transport for all kidney patients, regardless of income, to and from in-centre dialysis appointments.

Question reference: S6W-26403

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made by the National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group to implement the commitments set out in the NHS gender identity services: strategic action framework 2022-2024.

The National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group continues to meet and make progress against all the commitments set out within the referenced December 2021 Strategic Action Framework. This includes:

Healthcare Improvement Scotland developing standards for gender identity healthcare for NHS Scotland;
NHS Education Scotland developing a Transgender Health Knowledge and Skills framework for NHS staff;
Public Health Scotland working with Health Boards to deliver publication of waiting times data by them; and
Grant funding to the University of Glasgow to administer a programme of research on gender identity healthcare.

Question reference: S6W-26404

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when Public Health Scotland will begin publishing data on Scotland’s four gender identity clinics.

Question reference: S6W-26396

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people have been referred to gender identity services in each year since 2013.

The Sandyford Young People’s Gender Service, based in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, is the only gender identity clinic in Scotland providing care to those aged under 17 years. This service offers a range of support to young people and their families and accepts referrals from across Scotland.

The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as the responsible Health Board.

Question reference: S6W-26402

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what data collection and research it has been carried out regarding gender identity services.

The Scottish Government has commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to collect, collate and publish waiting times for all gender identity clinics within the NHS in Scotland. This work will standardise and make routine reporting of waiting time information for these specialist clinical services. This commission also includes collation of patient cohort data, to help inform future service delivery. This work is ongoing.

The Scottish Government also provided funding in 2021 to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to support the publication of a trans/non-binary specific report as part of a wider Health Needs Assessment it published in May 2022, in partnership with NHS Lothian and PHS. The main report can be accessed here: stor.scot.nhs.uk/bitstream/handle/11289/580332/Final Report %2831 May 2022%29.pdf?sequence=1 and the trans/non-binary specific supplementary report accessed here: Health needs assessment LGBT+ people: Transgender and non-binary supplementary report (scot.nhs.uk) .

Furthermore, the Scottish Government has provided grant funding to the University of Glasgow for a programme of research on long-term health outcomes for those accessing gender identity healthcare in Scotland, to help expand the collective evidence base for this healthcare. This work is in progress, and funding has been awarded to a number of research projects and a PhD post as part of this programme.

Question reference: S6W-26406

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-02948 by Humza Yousaf on 21 March 2024, whether it will confirm if it plans to replicate NHS England's decision that puberty suppressing hormones "are not available as a routine commissioning treatment option for treatment of children and young people who have gender incongruence / gender dysphoria", in light of reported concerns regarding the safety of such drugs.

Decisions on clinical pathways are not for the Scottish Government. These decisions are for clinicians, based on the best evidence available, through the appropriate clinical governance structures.

On 18 April, in a joint statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian confirmed that both Boards have paused any new prescription of puberty-supressing hormones and cross-sex hormones for young people as a treatment option for gender dysphoria.

The small number of patients directly impacted by this change, and their families, were notified in advance of this statement. It is right that they were the first to hear about it, sensitively and from the services caring for them, before a public statement was made.

Question reference: S6W-26405

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that children and young people in England who are waiting to receive puberty suppressing hormones (PSH) may relocate to Scotland to procure these treatments, in light of NHS England's decision that PSH "are not available as a routine commissioning treatment option for treatment of children and young people who have gender incongruence / gender dysphoria".

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Young People’s Gender Service only accepts referrals from individuals residing in Scotland.

On 18 April, in a joint statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian confirmed that both Boards have paused any new prescription of puberty-supressing hormones and cross-sex hormones for young people as a treatment option for gender dysphoria.

The small number of patients directly impacted by this change, and their families, were notified in advance of this statement. It is right that they were the first to hear about it, sensitively and from the services caring for them, before a public statement was made.

Question reference: S6W-26401

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to put new prescriptions for puberty suppressing hormones on hold, in light of reported concerns around a lack of data on the effects of puberty suppressing hormones on children and young people.

Decisions on clinical pathways are not for the Scottish Government. These decisions are for clinicians, based on the best evidence available, through the appropriate clinical governance structures.

On 18 April, in a joint statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian confirmed that both Boards have paused any new prescription of puberty-supressing hormones and cross-sex hormones for young people as a treatment option for gender dysphoria.

The small number of patients directly impacted by this change, and their families, were notified in advance of this statement. It is right that they were the first to hear about it, sensitively and from the services caring for them, before a public statement was made.

Chamber and committees