Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is open to discussions to introduce various types of treatment for problem substance use, as long as there is a sufficient evidence-base to support them.

Advice has been sought in the past from a range of clinical specialists and the Scottish Government’s Senior Medical Officer to obtain a comprehensive view on the effectiveness of Neuro-Electro Therapy (NET). They concluded that there is a lack of accepted evidence in relation to the effectiveness of this treatment option.

In 2012, researchers at the University of Aberdeen looked at the evidence in support of the use of NET in opiate detoxification as a component of drugs rehabilitation. The study concluded that there was insufficient evidence regarding its effectiveness.

NET is not currently used within any NHS Board in relation to the treatment of problem substance use.

The Scottish Government DNACPR guidance makes clear that we expect clinicians to discuss treatment options openly and honestly with patients and their families (where appropriate) to help ensure that they get the care that is right for them. This should ideally take place before an event occurs so as to avoid causing distress to the individual and their family.

Our DNACPR guidance also emphasises that where it is clear in advance that CPR would not be successful it is essential that the information that CPR cannot be offered is clearly and sensitively shared with patients or power of attorney (and their loved ones if the patient wishes to do so), unless it is judged that the conversation would cause physical or psychological harm to the individual. This discussion is then recorded on a DNACPR form and included in the individual’s care notes.

When a disagreement with the family or patient occurs around CPR, a second opinion should be offered.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34246 on 20 January 2021. 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-34246 on 20 January 2021. 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-34238 on 26 January 2021. 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-34182 on 20 January 2021. 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-34244 on 20 January 2021 which details how fairness and human rights have been at the heart of the Scottish Government’s approach to keep people in care homes as safe as possible.

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 has no plans to ask the Care Inspectorate to review the use of DNACPR forms for those residing in care homes.

Decisions relating to whether an individual would benefit from Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) are matters for the individual and the healthcare team responsible for their care. As such, these matters do not fall under the remit of the Care Inspectorate.

The COVID-19 outbreak has brought about absolutely no change to the use of Do Not Attempt CPR (DNACPR) forms in the Scottish NHS and no change to the advice issued to healthcare professionals about their use.

We continue to expect healthcare professionals to discuss treatment options openly and honestly with individuals and their families (where appropriate) to help ensure that they get the care that is right for them. However, if a clinician feels as though a patient would not benefit from CPR as a result of their clinical circumstances, then ultimately (like all other treatments) it should not be offered as a treatment option and should be recorded appropriately.

Access to testing is a vital tool in helping to suppress the COVID-19 virus so we have ensured that home testing kits are available for as many people as possible. Home tests can be booked via the UK online digital portal and are now available in all areas of mainland Scotland. This includes all areas of the mainland in the Highland, Lothian and Tayside Health Boards that previously could not access kits.

For our island communities, specific arrangements have been put in place or are being finalised to make testing kits as accessible as possible. For example, in Tiree testing kits can be accessed from the GP surgery. In Iona kits are available at the Post Office.

Aggregated inpatient bed information is submitted to Public Health Scotland by monthly return by each NHS Board in Scotland. Published information on NHS Beds is currently only available up to June 2020. Data up to September 2020 will be available from 23rd February 2020 as part of the acute hospital care quarterly publication. Beds information is available at specialty level and includes beds used in Mental Health specialties. The following table provides the average number of available staffed beds each month for NHS Scotland in the Adolescent Psychiatry specialty. Adolescents may also receive mental health care in other types of staffed beds, but this cannot be reliably identified from the data available.

Table: Average number of available staffed beds in NHS Scotland in Adolescent Psychiatry Specialty by month, April to June 2020.

Source: Public Health Scotland, ISD(S)1