Chamber and committees

GP practices and NHS boards have several options at their disposal to allow and encourage people to access and participate as fully as possible in decisions relating to their health and wellbeing through improved communication, including the use of private apps, electronic notetakers, pagers and alarms. It is for each individual GP practice and health board to consider what to offer patients and service users in order to access services by phone. National Digital Health and Care are also looking at advances in digital technology that will help transform services for both patients and staff in areas such as clinical information, self-management of conditions and other integrated approaches to general health and wellbeing. As we move forward with digital advances, patient access to services will become more flexible via various routes.

The Equality Act 2010 is largely reserved to the UK Government. Scottish Ministers have supplemented the general duty by placing detailed requirements on Scottish public authorities through the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (as amended). The 2012 Regulations are aimed at supporting the bulk of Scottish public authorities improve implementation of the Public Sector Equality Duty by requiring them to report progress on work being done to mainstream equalities, set outcomes, publish and use employee information and take equality into account when awarding public contracts. The outcomes set will reflect the needs of each organisation’s service users, including service users with a disability. In addition, the Scottish Government’s See Hear Strategy recommends that agencies should review their compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Article 9, in relation to sensory impairment, particularly in relation to communication, and give consideration to whether any future action may be required.

We also want communication to be accessible to, and inclusive of all, and support the Inclusive Communication Hub, which is an easy to use online tool for all who wish to be more inclusive with the information they give. This provides tools and guidance on how to make information accessible, and provides a central place where accessible information and resources that have been developed by organisations throughout Scotland can be accessed.

Approaches to reduce the number of missed NHS appointments for deaf and hearing impaired people who do not use BSL would be set by local health boards and by each health provider. Most NHS Boards within their medical record services, will have methods for identifying people's individual communication preferences when, in particular, it differs from letters or phone calls. Deaf people who are non BSL users often ask service providers to use text messaging to send appointment details and the vast majority of Audiology Services, if not all, do this.

For individuals who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, and who do not use BSL but have English as a first language, strategies will often include making English more accessible. For example, the use of hearing aids, lip-reading, or using a note-taker or scribe during appointments or meetings. In addition, individuals with deafness or hearing impairment who are not BSL users may either be able to operate a telephone call, have a hearing aid set to the ‘T’ position to enable this, or use private apps to enable speech to text. Individuals can also request that all correspondence is in written form and in easy read versions if required.

In addition, the Scottish Government’s See Hear Strategy recommends that agencies should review their compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Article 9, in relation to sensory impairment, particularly in relation to communication, and give consideration to whether any future action may be required.

The information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

I also refer the member to the answer to question S5W–21741 on 5 March 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

This information is not held centrally.

ISD publish Healthcare Science workforce data at the Clinical Physiological Science level and audiology is a speciality within Clinical Physiological Science. ISD data at 30 September 2018 is set out below, they do not collect information about Healthcare Science vacancies.

Clinical Physiology workforce at 30 September 2018 by NHS Board.

The Equality Act 2010 is largely reserved to the UK Government. Scottish Ministers have supplemented the general duty by placing detailed requirements on Scottish public authorities through the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (as amended). The 2012 Regulations are aimed at supporting the bulk of Scottish public authorities improve implementation of the Public Sector Equality Duty, by requiring them to report progress on work being done to mainstream equalities, set outcomes, publish and use employee information and take equality into account when awarding public contracts. The outcomes set will reflect the needs of each organisation’s service users, including service users with a disability.

As well as the public bodies listed in Schedule 19 of the Equality Act 2010, the section also imposes the public sector equality duty on others that exercise public functions, but only in respect of their public functions. Therefore, a private or voluntary body is subject to the general duty to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations contained in section 149(1) of the 2010 Act if they fulfil a public function, as set out in section 149 of the Act.

In addition, the Scottish Government’s See Hear Strategy recommends that agencies should review their compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Article 9, in relation to sensory impairment, particularly in relation to communication, and give consideration to whether any future action may be required.

Fishery protection orders are made by Scottish Ministers on an application to them by one or more owners or occupiers of a relevant fishery. Orders may be made on such an application where Ministers are satisfied that the measures proposed would improve and increase the availability of fishing for freshwater fish in inland waters. Protection orders are made under powers set out in section 48 of and schedule 3 to the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003.

There are currently 14 protection orders in place, dating from 1988 to 2004. None of those have a specified end date. Ministers have not received any recent applications to vary or revoke an order and we do not have any current plans to review or revoke the existing orders.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21894 on 5 March 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21894 on 5 March 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 .

Allocation of funding for 2019-20 is still under consideration.

The debt advice levy was devolved on 1 January 2019. The Scottish Government received £1,479,363 in respect of January to March 2019.