Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government wants to ensure that women are having informed and empowered conversations with their GP in order to support the diagnosis process for endometriosis. We continue to explore new ways and approaches to support people to seek advice in a way that best meets their needs, whilst also ensuring access to face-to-face appointments where required.

We recognise the benefits that virtual treatment tools like Near Me could bring to many of those suffering with endometriosis and the potential impact they could have on diagnosis delays. Near Me is a confidential and secure service that allows people to attend a pre-arranged appointment using a video call, rather than attending in person. However, we are clear that where clinically necessary, face-to-face consultations will be available to those who need them.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the imposition of Infection Prevention Control (IPC) measures in order to contain its spread. These IPC measures, which have recently been deescalated, changed the way GPs see their patients. The Scottish Government wants to see greater availability of face-to-face appointments and is working with the British Medical Association (BMA) and Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to ensure this happens as quickly as possible.

We will continue to support the health and care system through what is anticipated to be an extremely challenging winter, including supporting GPs to offer an appropriate mix of pre-booked, same day, face to face and remote appointments. Additionally, the NHS Inform pages on endometriosis have recently been reviewed and updated, in collaboration with endometriosis specialists and those with lived experience, to ensure that people across Scotland are able to access accurate and up-to-date information on endometriosis in a range of languages and formats.

The SPCB is committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all staff throughout their working lives. Recognising the impact of period and menopause on the workforce is key to the Parliament’s commitment to an inclusive working environment.  The Parliament’s Period and Menopause Policy and supporting guidance was launched in 2019. 

The policy and guidance are in place to help create a positive culture where staff experiencing problematic periods or menopausal symptoms get the support they need to manage their symptoms at work.  Managers and MSPs, in their capacity as employers, are encouraged to create a positive workplace culture, including holding regular conversations with team members about health and wellbeing, including periods and menopause. The policy also recognises the impact on partners, families and colleagues. 

The Parliament has hosted a number of sessions for staff to provide space to discuss the impacts of the menopause and the support that can be provided to those experiencing symptoms. 

The SPCB was recognised for its efforts in 2019 and was awarded the Public Sector Award for Championing Gender Equality, with specific reference to the removal of barriers to improve the working experience and engagement with staff.

Since 2019, the Parliament has been open in sharing the journey with other organisations, also enabling us to progress our own understanding. The SPCB is currently reviewing the policy against those that were published after and is committed to engage with staff on an ongoing basis.  This review will include benchmarking against other organisations, and feedback on provisions such as period leave. 

In addition, MSPs, their staff, and SPS staff have access to a range of health and wellbeing related policies, advice and services including the Parliament’s Occupational Health Service, which can provide assessments or referral to medical specialists.  Staff can also access flexible working arrangements, including flexible working hours and time off for medical appointments.  In addition, the SPCB are extending the availability of free period products to all toilets within Holyrood.  

The Scottish Government vision is for Scotland to be a leading Fair Work Nation by 2025, where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society. This includes tackling the drivers of workplace inequality for women and ensuring they are supported to enter and progress in all of Scotland’s workplaces.

Through our Fair Work First policy we are leveraging employers’ commitment to fair work by applying Fair Work criteria to public sector grants, other funding and contracts where it’s relevant and proportionate to do so. Through this we are asking employers to adopt fair work practices such as enabling workers to have an effective voice, tackling gender pay gaps and offering flexible working from day one of employment which can especially benefit women experiencing menstrual or menopausal issues while at work.

Scottish Government has committed, through the Women’s Health Plan, to develop a menopause and menstrual health workplace policy, as an example of best practice, starting with NHS Scotland, and promote this across the public, private and third sector.

Our Women Returners funding has helped over 1,500 women since 2018 with their transition back into the workplace offering training, skills and peer support at a time and pace that best suits their needs. 11 projects are receiving funding in 2022-23 to support women including the Return with Resilience project that supports women aged 50 or over who’re experiencing menopause symptoms return to the workplace. Women are able to access employability skills, peer support and access to a variety of skills sessions such as ‘managing menopause’ and mental health coaching to build confidence and resilience.

All stages of the menopause, including perimenopause, are within the scope of the menopause and menstrual health workplace policy.

As set out in the Women’s Health Plan, we are developing a menopause/menstrual health policy for NHS Scotland, which can then be promoted across the public, private and third sectors.

Work is underway, with the University of Glasgow to establish an evidence base for the new policy through a survey which will ask staff about their experiences of menstrual health and menopause at work. A series of focus groups will also take place with NHSScotland staff in early 2023.

The findings will be used to develop the policy in partnership with NHSScotland employers, trade unions and an expert working group.'

As announced in the Programme for Government on 6 September, the Scottish government made a commitment that ScotRail fares will not increase before March 2023. The Scottish Government is clearly aware that any RPI linked fares rise would hit hard-pressed passengers in the pocket at a time when the cost of living crisis is at its height, and potentially turn them away from rail at a time when we should be encouraging them back.

The Scottish government supports calls for simplification of the current rail fares system and we will be exploring what we might be able to do with the powers the Scottish Government has to make fares easier for all, including through the Fair Fares Review.

The Women’s Health Plan recognises that it is important all women know about the menopause, including perimenopause, and have access to consistent information and care when they seek help with menopause symptoms.

The Scottish Government launched a menopause resource on the NHS Inform Women’s Health Platform in October 2021 to ensure women have access to information on menopause, including the signs and symptoms of perimenopause. The resource includes 11 videos including common myths around the menopause, and personal stories. The resource is accessible in five language translations and an Easy Read version of the content. A British Sign Language translation will be available very shortly.

In addition, a series of webinars on menopause have been taking place in partnership with the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland. Webinars aimed at women and people who experience menopause have been held on menopause myth busting and menopause and the workplace with a third planned for October on menopause and sexual wellbeing. In August 2022, a webinar on menopause and the workplace aimed at employers was also held by Close the Gap, an organisation which seeks to address the causes of women's inequality at work.

One of the key aims in the Women’s Health Plan is to ensure that all women will have access to a healthcare professional with an interest in menopause through primary care, and that in the longer term, we build a basic understanding of menopause, including perimenopause, amongst all healthcare professionals.

The Scottish Government has recently commissioned NHS Education for Scotland to create a bespoke training package and framework focussed on menopause, including perimenopause, and menstrual health for GPs and others working in Primary Care.

Protecting children from online harm is a key priority for the Scottish Government. We are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Scotland’s children and young people.

In October 2021, a National Hub was established to review all deaths of children. This will channel learning in order to reduce preventable deaths of, and harm to, children and young people. It is jointly operated by Health Improvement Scotland and the Care Inspectorate with £550,000 funding from the Scottish Government.

Recognising that public engagement is vital, we ran a communications campaign giving advice to parents and carers on how to help keep children safe online. Across February and March, that campaign reached hundreds of thousands of Scots. It linked to the Scottish Government’s Parent Club website and a newly created Online Safety Hub .

With regards to education, the technologies area of the curriculum includes learning on internet safety and cyber resilience. Children and young people will learn about the safe and responsible use of different technologies, including the internet and social media, as part of their broad general education under Curriculum for Excellence. Education Scotland’s DigiLearn website provides training, resources and tailored guidance to support teachers to embed cyber resilience and internet safety learning across the curriculum.

The regulation of the internet is a reserved matter and falls to the UK Government. The UK Government’s Online Safety Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 17 March 2022, and has begun its passage through the Houses of Parliament. The legislation contains a number of important provisions which have the potential to keep children in Scotland safer online while enjoying the benefits the internet has to offer. The Scottish Government continues to work with UK Government counterparts and Ofcom on the implications of this legislation for Scotland.

There are strong protections in Scots law for wild animals and habitats. The Scottish Government has made clear our commitment to play a full role in the international effort to tackle the twin global crises in climate and nature. We have recently consulted on our new Biodiversity Strategy and will respond to the conclusions of the forthcoming Conference of Parties of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. We plan to introduce a Natural Environment Bill putting in place key legislative changes and statutory targets to restore and protect nature. We will introduce a right to a healthy environment as part of our proposals for an ambitious Human Rights Bill.

The First Minister chaired a summit with energy suppliers and advice organisations, including Ofgem representatives, on 23 August, at which these matters were discussed at length. The First Minister subsequently wrote to the new Prime Minister, urging that she cancel any further energy price increase for domestic consumers, and work with the regulator and energy companies to put in place the funding to support this, while also underlining the pressing need for additional support for vulnerable consumers.