Chamber and committees

There are no plans to update this booklet, however more up to date information can be found in the Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD) “Bereavement Support” booklet. The Scottish Government fund SFAD to provide a range of materials and services, including a free helpline and counselling sessions, for those who are impacted by other people’s drug and alcohol use.

Further information can be found at the SFAD website - https://www.sfad.org.uk/

Our forthcoming drug and alcohol strategy will also highlight the importance of supporting families and children who are affected by problem drug and alcohol use.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-17888 on 17 August 2018. 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

In 2015, the CMO’s group made two recommendations to the National Planning Forum (NPF):

1. That in order to increase education and awareness of endometriosis, and to ensure that there is consistent, standardised and co-ordinated care across Scotland, the introduction of a Nationally Managed Clinical Network (NMCN) for severe endometriosis should be considered.

2. That the West of Scotland Regional Planning Group should consider setting up a BSGE accredited regional specialist centre for severe endometriosis, in line with the already accredited centres in the North and East of Scotland.

The NPF approved both recommendations. The National Specialist Services Committee considered the proposal for the NMCN in June 2015, where there was clear acceptance and recognition that severe endometriosis service improvement needed to take place, however, the view was taken that three regional specialist centres could lead on delivering the improvement in endometriosis care and accordingly a national network approach would not be required.

This approach would rely on the west of Scotland developing its own specialist centre and NHS Greater Glasgow committed to considering setting up specialist centre for west of Scotland patients.

This work has not progressed as quickly as expected, however, the West of Scotland Regional Planning Group approved the business case in June 2018. Funding to support implementation will be discussed with the WoS Directors of Finance in September 2018. If funding is in place, we expect the centre to be open from April 2019. Nevertheless, key stages in the introduction of the specialist centre are underway including the following developments:

- An obstetrics and gynaecology consultant with a special interest in laparoscopic surgery and endometriosis has been appointed.

 - NHSGG&C have appointed a lead clinician for endometriosis.

 - Clinical and referral pathways have been agreed by the Health Boards in the West of Scotland.

 - Data analysis is taking place into current patient numbers and what projected numbers of referrals might look like to the regional service in the future, in order to understand the requirement for the BSGE accreditation.

The number of people admitted as a day case or inpatient with a diagnosis of endometriosis in the financial year 2017-2018 and the calendar year 2017 is shown in the following tables.

Table 1: Number of people admitted as a day case or inpatient with a diagnosis of endometriosis in financial year 2017-2018

The construction industry is a core sector of the Scottish economy, providing infrastructure to businesses across all sectors of the economy. The health of the industry is vitally important and it is encouraging to note that construction company insolvencies in Scotland decreased by 47% between 2011 and 2018, ahead of the UK figure of 29%.

We are supporting the construction sector by using all levers at our disposal to maximise investment and support economic growth - our overall infrastructure investment programme of £4 billion in 2017-18 will support around 40,000 full time equivalent jobs across Scotland.

We have delivered more than 76,500 affordable homes since 2007 and we will invest more than £3 billion to deliver at least 50,000 affordable homes over the lifetime of this Parliament.

In addition our £150 million Building Scotland Fund, as a precursor to the Scottish National Investment Bank, will support the development of new public and private housing; modern industrial and commercial space; and industry-led research and development.

Immediate support is offered by services in local areas and is offered in the most appropriate way depending on circumstances. Families are supported to make contact with third sector organisations such as Scottish Families affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD) or Cruse bereavement Care when they are ready. When someone passes away in hospital there can also be contact from hospital chaplaincy where this is deemed appropriate to the family.

The Scottish Government fund SFAD to provide a range of materials and services, including a free helpline and counselling sessions, for those who are impacted by other people’s drug and alcohol use, including bereavement. SFAD regularly review and update their support available to families. Further information can be found at the SFAD website - https://www.sfad.org.uk/

If a child or young person is known to services and has an allocated social worker, there will be on-going support offered, including if specialist support is required. If a child is not known to services, a GP referral with a parent or guardian will ensure that on-going, specialist support can be provided.

Further information on young people bereavement services can be found here: https://www.mygov.scot/child-bereavement/

The Scottish Government is committed to appointing a childhood bereavement coordinator to advise on steps that can be taken to drive forward improvements in bereavement services and support.

Bereavement leaflets outlining what support is available locally are offered immediately. Police Scotland also provide a bereavement letter to family and friends following a death relating to drug use. It explains the role of the Police/Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and signposts to local support networks, including Scottish Families affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD). Both Police Scotland and SFAD worked together recently to review and update this, ensuring it was more accessible and friendly.

SFAD provide a range of materials and support to those bereaved by a loved one’s death due to alcohol and/or drug use. Further information can be found on their website - https://www.sfad.org.uk/support-services/bereavement

Each local area provides different literature including Cruse Bereavement Care and SFAD booklets, signposting support in the local area.

NHS Inform provides a leaflet called ‘When someone has died’ to help people through the first few days of a bereavement, explaining what people need to do, how they may feel, and where they can go to find support. This can be found on the NHS Inform website at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/media/1503/when-someone-has-died-2016.pdf

The Scottish Government, through Forestry Commission Scotland, sits on the Steering Committee for the Action Oak Partnership. The initiative is a long-term drive to help protect the UK’s oaks for future generations to enjoy, which was officially launched at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show by The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Scottish Government and Forestry Commission Scotland provided support to the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency to launch the initiative, including a range of communication materials.

The Scottish Government’s involvement in the development of the Action Oak Partnership has helped ensure the recognition of Scotland’s internationally important Atlantic Oakwoods. It has also been actively involved in the promotion of Action Oak to stakeholders, and is planning to host an event at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh later this year.

More widely, tackling tree health threats remains a top priority for the Scottish Government, as evidenced by our enhanced funding since 2014. In 2017-18 we invested nearly £900K in tree health science, monitoring and statutory actions to enable swift and effective management of tree pests and diseases relevant to Scotland.

There are NHS menopause clinics in Dumfries & Galloway, Fife, Grampian, Lothian, and Tayside. In other areas Health Boards provide menopause care through general practice and specialist referral if needed.

Health Boards are investigating menopause clinic activity on my request, and I will write to you separately to supply the information held by them. However, there is not necessarily direct comparability between Health Board services, and any data supplied might not include services provided in a primary care setting. The SPIRE system will improve the information available on activities in primary care.