Chamber and committees

Running bi-level or multi-level course classes is one approach many schools have used for many years to increase the amount of choice available to their pupils.

There will be varying levels of prior attainment in any class and Education Scotland has yet to see any firm evidence from inspections of educational disadvantage due to multilevel teaching.

In line with the unanimous decision of the Parliament on 1 May 2019, we will be conducting an independent review of the senior phase of Curriculum for Excellence. The review will provide an opportunity to look at the impact of different approaches to learning and teaching, including bi-level and multi-level teaching.

Scotland continues to enjoy a world-class reputation as a place to work and train for doctors. The progressive approach we have taken to the Scottish Income Tax helps to provide a wider and better-funded set of free-to-access public services than in the rest of the UK.

Medical staff have received a 2.5% pay award, backdated to 1 April 2019. This means junior doctors working on typical rotas in Scotland can be up to £6,000 a year better off than their English equivalents.

Our Consultants and Specialty Doctors the remain the best-paid in the UK.

We are delivering a more sustainable medical workforce. The number of doctors in training has increased by more than 6% under this Government, and 92% of our specialty training posts are filled. In addition, by 2020-21, we will have increased medical schools places by 22%, equivalent to an extra 190 places. We are also investing more than £4 million in the next three years on recruitment campaigns, focusing on attracting and retaining GPs, nurses and midwives.

As at 31 December 2018, there were ten care homes stating in their annual returns to the Care Inspectorate that their main provision of care was for people with neurological conditions (other than dementia). The ten care homes are listed below along with their local authority area.

The Scottish Government is not in a position to publish information on how many attacks on NHS staff have been recorded in 2018-19, as this information is not held centrally. Information on assaults on staff is collated by Health Boards.

The Scottish Government publishes data on persons convicted under the Emergency Worker(s) Act (Scotland) 2005 on an annual basis. Data for 2018-19 will be available in January 2020 and published on:

https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/Datasets/DatasetsCrimProc/CP1718EWA

Staff in our NHS are our biggest asset and should not be assaulted, obstructed or hindered for doing their jobs. That is why we extended the provisions in the Act to cover doctors nurses and midwives working in the community, as well as those in hospital settings and paramedics.

The support team will be engaging directly with ward and clinical staff to address process and cultural issues within the hospital, and includes representatives from the community sector. It does not currently include anyone from the voluntary sector However, we will also be convening an advisory group which would provide wider advice around improving performance and support any further guidance that may be developed. This group will include representatives from the voluntary sector.

Since 2015 the Scottish Government has worked towards the removal of single use plastic cups in the work place by promoting the use of reusable and ceramic cups in staff restaurants. In June 2018 all single use plastic cups for hot drinks were removed from staff restaurants.

In 2016 the Scottish Government removed the option of ordering bottled water through its hospitality service. Water is now provided from reusable drinking containers. This has also contributed significantly to a fall of 2,500 unit sales of bottled water in staff restaurants.

All staff have access to drinking quality tap water, which we encourage them to drink from in reusable drinking containers.

The Scottish Government is currently reviewing a number of options to completely remove single use plastic cups from water drinking fountains which should be fully implemented by February 2020.

As a result of this initiative, the Scottish Government has seen a reduction in the use of single-use plastic cups as shown below.

Anyone who believes that online gaming is affecting their health, or that of a loved one, should consult their GP in the first instance. Out of hours, health advice and support can be obtained from NHS24 by calling 111, or from Breathing Space by calling 0800 83 85 87.

This information is not held centrally. Under the Staff Governance Standard, health boards, as employers, must demonstrate that their staff are appropriately trained and developed.

This includes ensuring that resources, including time and funding, are appropriately allocated to meet local training and development needs, taking into account the needs of both the service and service users.

The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 also contains provision to ensure staff receive appropriate training for the work they perform.

For the construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, which was a capital funded project, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde had a contract with Multiplex who were the main contractor. It was the responsibility of Multiplex to manage their sub-contractors, therefore NHS GG&C did not monitor the number of sub-contractors used on that project as they would have dealt exclusively with Multiplex.

Under the NPD agreement for the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, the Health Board has a single contract relationship with the Project Company. Project Company is responsible for managing the sub-contractors as per the agreed contract, therefore the supply chain is engaged at a level below the Project Agreement and is managed separately; consequently NHS Lothian do not collect information on sub-contractors.

Scotland is the only country in the UK to provide additional funding to optometrists to enable them to spend longer during an eye examination with patients with complex needs, including children who may attend a special school. Officials are preparing advice to Scottish Ministers on the commitment to commission an in-school visual assessment for all children in special schools in England.