Chamber and committees

In 2020-2021 a 24/7 crisis support will be developed for children and young people and their families, creating a national service linking to police and emergency health services. We will also introduce a text service so children and young people can text as well as phone to access help. We will build on existing pilots to ensure children and young people can access crisis services in a way that best meets their needs, whether that’s face to face, on the phone or by text.

Additionally, community wellbeing services will be put in place to support the mental health needs of children and young people, using an open access model that also allows self-referral. This service is being progressed through the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme Board.

In addition we are funding new counselling support across schools, colleges and universities as well as increasing the number of school nurses.

So whilst the research is of interest and will be considered it pre-dates the most up to date work we are undertaking and that of the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group.

I refer the member to my answer to PQ S5W-26041 on 22 November 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

Scottish mental health law offers safeguards for patients where compulsory treatment is necessary. The detailed reasons for any change in data are not clear but any increase in compulsory treatment may represent the effects of more people coming forward for treatment and an increased awareness of mental ill health more generally. The majority of people subject to compulsory treatment are on short term rather than long term orders.

Earlier this year, we announced an independent review of mental health legislation in Scotland which will focus in part on compulsion and is currently considering how best to seek and evaluate evidence about the way persons subject to compulsion, under the Mental Health Act, currently receive care and treatment. This will include issues such as the way compulsion has developed since the Act came into force and the tests used to justify compulsion. The review will produce an interim report in May 2020, which will include an overall timeline for the next stage of the review. We will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure these orders are used correctly and continue to promote patients’ rights.

As outlined in my answer to question S5W-26267 on 22 November 2019, Scottish Government has committed to provide the digital capability to enable citizens to access and manage their health and care information and interact with services. This capability will be part of a national solution so there is a consistent and seamless approach regardless of NHS board area.

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

Scotland’s Digital Health & Care Strategy commits to “Deliver the digital capability for citizens to access and update information about their health and wellbeing, including their records and from personal monitoring, and to interact with services”. This is being developed using a person-centred approach to consider how people wish to access digital health and care services. Learning is being taken from a Proof of Concept led by the West of Scotland NHS Boards and will be augmented by further user research in partnership with the NHS Education for Scotland (NES) National Digital Service to inform the development of the National Digital Platform. The Scottish health and care National Digital Platform will ensure that access is available to relevant real-time data and information from health and care records, by those who need it, when they need it, wherever they are, in a secure and safe way."

The Scottish Government recognises that international experience tells us that digital transformation can take up to 10 years to change services, upskill workforce, develop new systems and set up the governance and leadership needed to drive the change forward.

Work has been ongoing in partnership with local government, to set out how we commission the products we need to ensure that the actions within the strategy are achieved and outcomes delivered. Part of this work has been focussed on getting the key elements of a framework for digital transformation right and we are currently re-considering our approach to governance and leadership, including oversight and assurance, and prioritisation in-line with the current spending review for the next four years.

Scottish Government is committed to providing digital tools and services to people so that they are able to manage their health and wellbeing. Adopting the principles of the Scottish Approach to Service Design these will be co-produced with users so that any new digital service meets their needs, and also complements local service delivery. Examples of this include Attend Anywhere (which includes NHS Near Me). Over 7,000 patient consultations have been held to date mostly across acute care. Extending into primary care and social care is part of the 2019/20 Programme for Government. Scale-Up of Blood Pressure Monitoring was launched for the remote diagnosis & management of hypertension. Circa 10,000 patients have used this service to date and over 30% of GP practices have already signed up for hypertension management alone, with around 23,000 patients in total managing a variety of conditions.

Since 2018, (a) no care homes for adults and (b) no other care services have had staffing conditions imposed on them by the Care Inspectorate through the use of a condition notice issued under Section 66 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.

The Scottish Government is committed to deliver the Waiting Times Improvement Plan, and any discussion on future targets will involve the public, clinicians and others, in order to ensure that targets and improvement measures best support patient care.

The Scottish Government is working to accelerate inclusive economic growth across Scotland, including in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency.

Our national Economic Action Plan, launched in October 2018 supports a competitive business environment, including investment in a highly skilled workforce and a diverse economy. A refreshed Action Plan will be launched soon.

The Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency benefits from in a range of support for business and economic growth. For example:

Hamilton and Larkhall will benefit directly from our £500 million investment in the Glasgow City Region City Deal, which includes £62m for four community growth areas - including Hamilton and Larkhall - delivering a number of individual education, transport and community infrastructure projects to enhance the lives of the people living in these towns, and beyond.

Scottish Enterprise account manages 145 companies in South Lanarkshire, and in 2018-19 the agency made Regional Selective Assistance offers in the area totalling £938,000, supporting the creation of 106 jobs and safeguarding a further 25, and in the first quarter of 2019-20 the Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland delivered 754 Modern Apprenticeship starts in South Lanarkshire, up from 641 starts at the same time last year.

Business Gateway, our national business advice service is delivered by local authorities, and in South Lanarkshire Business Gateway supported 2,046 businesses, 488 new start-ups, and 215 businesses with their growth plans during the last financial year.

Scotland has the most generous package of rates relief anywhere in the UK, and the most recent statistics show that more than half of businesses in South Lanarkshire, where these towns lie, received at least one type of relief. The Small Business Bonus Scheme alone in South Lanarkshire benefitted 4,400 properties and was valued at over £11.9 million - that is money which the Scottish Government has freed up for business investment and development in order to support job creation and retention in the area.