Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is aware of the report by the Care Quality Commission in England.

The measures Ministers and services have taken in Scotland will help avoid the situation which the report suggests may have happened in England. On 16 April, the Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and Sport and Interim Chief Medical Officer wrote to all services stating that alcohol and drug services, including opiate Substitution Treatment (OST) remained urgent and were not to be de-prioritised during the pandemic. Subsequently, on 11 May, the Minister and Chief Pharmaceutical Officer issued a joint letter to Directors of Pharmacy across Scotland asking they ensure that essential pharmacy services are maintained and supportive of vulnerable groups, including those who use drugs.

Throughout the pandemic our Drug Death Taskforce, alongside Public Health Scotland, Police Scotland and other stakeholders, have been closely monitoring information about potential rises in drug related deaths. To date, information from Police Scotland does not suggest similar issues have arisen here.

We do not have plans to introduce legislation to create a Commissioner for Older People in Scotland. Our focus continues to be to keep people safe, protect the NHS and save lives, and we are doing that by working with our key partners in the Older People’s Strategic Action Forum. Members of the Forum will also be participating in our new Social Renewal Advisory Board which is focusing on how we will create the change we want through the phases of recovery.

Fairness and human rights will remain at the heart of the Scottish Government’s approach as we work to keep older people safe, cared for and connected, with access to the essentials they need. This has been demonstrated by funding of around £1.7 million to organisations who are directly supporting the needs of older people during the Covid pandemic, including funding for helplines, food distribution and keeping people connected.

Additionally, the work of the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership is key to Scotland becoming a world leader on human rights.

The Taskforce will develop proposals for human rights legislation and we will seek to ensure the work of the Taskforce informs our human rights work in the context of COVID-19 recovery. The priority work for the Taskforce will be a statutory human rights framework that gives effect to internationally-recognised human rights in domestic law.

Like every member of society, older people are entitled to all of the rights set out in international human rights treaties which apply to Scotland.

We welcome research on the impact that the current pandemic could have on mental health, both now and in the future. Which is why we are asking the Mental Health Research Advisory Group (RAG) to focus on this task and working closely with Public Health Scotland. This will inform our ongoing response.

The web resource Aye Feel was launched on the 18 May, and is a universal offer, available to all children and young people, and connects general population level information and links to practical support. There are appropriate links and signposting for young people who may be experiencing mental ill health or distress, to ensure young people can access the right support for their circumstances, this includes advice and information about loneliness.

The statistics on suspected cases of COVID-19 in hospital were developed and published at pace. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde did not provide data for inclusion in first publication of statistics. The published statistics reference the fact that NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde figures are not included.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde have been monitoring suspected patient numbers during the pandemic.

With the introduction of screening and testing of those aged 70 years and above on admission, the statistics on suspected cases of COVID-19 in hospital have been subject to definitional discontinuities. As such, while the statistics continue to be published, they need careful interpretation and their utility is reduced.

UK wide PPE Guidance sets out the recommended use of goggles and visors in different clinical and care settings.

Given the recognised sustained transmission of COVID-19, the guidance includes detailed advice around risk assessing use of PPE, including eye protection, in a range of different clinical and care scenarios.

Adequate stocks of goggles are held and distributed to both health boards, primary care providers and hubs based on need.

The Scottish Government is undertaking a variety of actions to ensure the public are aware of how COVID-19 can affect people differently. These include

• Daily First Minister Briefings
• Media and social media relations activity on a daily basis to communicate key messages
• Paid for marketing campaigns across TV, radio, newspapers and online
• Leaflet delivered to every household in Scotland during April
• Working with external organisations such as Health Boards, third sector and private sector to communicate key messages
• Writing to everyone who is potentially at greater risk from COVID-19 to shield themselves from the virus and outline the support available to them to do this
• Section on www.gov.scot that is dedicated to latest information on COVID-19

Much of the above activity will have covered the key symptoms the COVID-19. For example, when the loss of or change in sense of smell or taste was added to the list of symptoms the Scottish Government activated an advertising campaign across TV, radio and digital advertising on 19 May 2020 which highlighted all three symptoms. These adverts were active until 28 May 2020.

The Test & Protect advertising that was launched on 28 May 2020 also include details of the symptoms the public need to be aware of.

Alongside the three common symptoms we also include information to contact 111 if symptoms worsen or if symptoms are still present after seven days.

In our “Framework for Decision-Making”, we made a commitment to put equality and human rights at the heart of our response to COVID-19.

To support this, analytical partners across the Scottish Government, National Records of Scotland, Public Health Scotland and the NHS are working to better understand the impact of Covid-19 across a range of socio-demographic factors, including the link with poverty and deprivation, and how we can best support all vulnerable groups at this time.

In terms of action and additional investment so far, through the £350 million package of Communities Funding announced on 18 March we have allocated £102 million to Scotland’s local authorities so they can support those in need through this crisis.

This includes: £50 million in hardship funding which can be used as they see fit with no reporting requirements; £30 million from our Food Fund, supporting them to deliver a local coordinated response for those in need and helping children and young people access Free School Meal entitlements; and an initial £22 million boost to their Scottish Welfare Fund budget, allowing local authorities to reach more people in need with immediate support through Crisis Grants.

Across Scotland, a further £23 million boost to the Scottish Welfare Fund will be targeted where it is needed most – bringing total investment to £80.5 million in 2020-21 - and we have established a £50 million reserve to provide additional funding for the Council Tax Reduction scheme and Scottish social security benefits.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that Sports Therapists play in maintaining the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland and while progress out of the crisis has not be as quick as any of us would have wished for, we must move forward at a pace that continues to protect public health.

As we move forward in Phase 1, it is important that we follow the spirit of the route map and support the key public health message to ‘stay as home as much as possible during phase 1’.

We appreciate that Sports Therapists will be anxious to know when each phase will start. However, it is not possible to be precise with the timings of when we will move into each phase. Indeed it may be that not all parts of each phase will be introduced at the same time.

Transition from one phase to the next will very much depend on the changes we see in the spread of the disease, only moving to a less restrictive phase if it remains under control and if we can keep the ‘R’ number below 1. By adopting the phased approach to restarting services and not encouraging significant numbers of people to travel for treatments or procedures that are not essential or urgent we will help to reduce the risk of potentially raising the value of R.

Sports Therapists and privately practicing Physiotherapists will be expected to follow the guidance as set out by Health Protection Scotland and the Scottish Government in regards to returning to practice.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) publish weekly statistics on COVID-19 deaths, including where COVID-19 was a suspected or underlying cause of death.

NRS report that up to week 13, the number of weekly registered deaths in Scotland had been broadly in line with the five year average. From week 14 (30 March) onwards, there has been a clear divergence from the five year average number of deaths. Whilst the majority of these “excess deaths” have COVID-19 reported as the underlying cause, NRS also report excess deaths for the underlying causes of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, circulatory (heart disease and stroke) and cancer.

The Scottish Government is working with other analytical partners such as Public Health Scotland and National Records of Scotland to understand the wider impact of covid-19 on Scotland’s population, including those in care homes.