Chamber and committees

We are in regular written and phone contact with Scottish Care on a range of matters relating to Covid-19. However, we have not entered into discussions with any organisations in relation to establishing a national care service.

Following Exercise Silver Swan, NHS Boards were provided with the exercise report by the Scottish Government to inform local planning. This included comment on national pandemic flu stockpile distribution. NHS National Services Scotland, who have the lead responsibility in the distribution of PPE, were consulted about their plans to distribute to the NHS. Some Boards have also been involved in examining how community pharmacies could support Board distribution of national stockpiles of antiviral medicines, which are a treatment specifically for pandemic influenza. These discussions are in addition to the general consideration of Exercise Silver Swan recommendations included in the answer to S5W-29612 on 25 June 2020.

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

The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on attacks against NHS Scotland staff. NHS Boards have delegated responsibility as the employer. Figures on violence and aggression towards NHS Scotland staff are collated by Health Boards, in line with the relevant policies and procedures.

Assault of any form is completely unacceptable and we take a zero tolerance approach, to violence and aggression towards our NHS Staff. We have been very clear that Health Boards should support all staff that wish to make a claim, against anyone who assaults a staff member.

The Scottish Government is monitoring closely and regularly publishing data on surveillance and our Test and Protect system that will give an early warning of local and national increases in Covid-19 cases. In addition, modelling undertaken by Scottish Government can be used to forecast the different potential scenarios.

The biggest single factor in controlling the virus and avoiding a second wave is how well we all continue to observe public health advice. We continue to take account of modelling expert advice, lessons learned from our own experience and from international data to adapt our plans and advice from the Chief Medical Officer and SAGE. We are now better prepared than ever to respond to any possible second wave.

Some NHS Boards were closely involved in the planning of Exercise Silver Swan alongside the Scottish Government. Following the exercise, NHS Boards were provided with the exercise report to inform local planning. NHS Boards and other organisations discussed the exercise recommendations with the Scottish Government on 6 December 2016. Discussions on the exercise have also been held between the Scottish Government and the NHS Board officials dealing with resilience issues. Both NHS Boards and Scottish Government are represented at Regional Resilience Partnership meetings, where the exercise was discussed at regional level.

Number of “excess” deaths which occurred by day between 20 April 2020 and 31 May 2020 compared with “what would normally have been expected” based on the previous 2 years.

There are 6 drive-through testing centres in Scotland as part of the UK Government’s Expanded Testing Programme. These are located at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen airports, the Highlands and Islands University campus’ in Inverness and Perth, and Prestwick Airport. Capacity at each site is split between employer referral, self-referral and the citizens portal to ensure key workers retain priority access.

As at 10 June, the maximum sampling capacity each day is as follows:

Aberdeen – 1100

Edinburgh – 1300

Glasgow – 1300

Inverness – 1100

Perth - 1100

Prestwick - 1100

Scotland is not a member country of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UK is, so that limits the engagement at formal levels. The Scottish Government has kept very close to the WHO briefings, publications, guidelines and advice through a variety of routes. Personal connections, online viewing of the briefings, summaries of WHO work and advice. The 4 nations Senior Clinicians Group call, which takes place twice a week, receives information from international sources, including the WHO, to add to its deliberations and advice.

Dr David Nabarro, WHO's special envoy for Covid-19, has been positive about our approach to the pandemic. He said that we are tackling it carefully and logically, thinking through how we make sure people are safe and how we make sure the economy can restart, layering these two concerns together. And I hope that most would agree with him when he said that we are levelling with the people of Scotland about what we are trying to work through as we deal with this crisis.

Global supply chains for PPE have been put under immense pressure due to the pandemic, and some Personal Assistants will be needing to use or access PPE for the first time. That is why we set up supplies from the national stock to top up existing supply routes of PPE for social care.

Part of this was the establishment of local PPE Hubs in every Health and Social Care Partnership area for onward distribution or collection of supplies by social care providers.

These Hubs expanded their provision at the end of April to support the whole social care sector with all of its PPE needs where normal supply routes fail; including unpaid carers and all employers of social care Personal Assistants/home carers. SPAEN confirmed the system was working well in their contact with us on 18 May.

Personal Assistants or their employer can find out the details of their local Hub on the Scottish Government website . We have been in regular contact with SPAEN about this topic and they helped to pass on these details to their members when the arrangements were put in place.

The following numbers of items of eye protective equipment have been issued to the NHS and social care in response to the Covid 19 outbreak between 1 March and 31 May 2020, including the Tiger eyewear product which was recalled on 9 May: