Chamber and committees

The Test and Protect data, which was successfully rolled out across all Health Boards from 28 May. From 28 May to 14 June, provisional Test and Protect figures are: 992 cases (of which 891 have completed contact tracing), and 1,239 contacts traced from completed and in-progress cases.

The COVID-19 data and trend charts for Scotland are published daily and provide a range of information, including the number of care homes notifying cases of COVID-19 and the number of suspected cases of COVID-19 in care homes. The data also includes the daily number of people in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 but does not include details on how many of these are care home residents or staff.

Test and Protect was rolled out across Scotland on 28 May 2020 and the Test and Protect data is published on Public Health Scotland's website at:

https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/population-health/covid-19/covid-19-statistical-report/ .

The cumulative number of people tested and the number of positive and negative tests is also provided. You can find figures updated every day at 2pm (including care home data) here: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Daily data for Scotland .

Following the First Minister’s statement on 18 June 2020, a group of up to 8 people from two different households can meet up outside. Coaches can now therefore coach up to 7 people from two different households at one time, ensuring social distancing measures were still adhered too.

Alternatively, a coach can hold separate sessions for two different households on the same day but only a maximum of up to 7 people between the two sessions.

The Scottish Government has provided clear guidance in accordance with public health advice and physical distancing measures on the safe use of all outdoor areas. This covers all outdoor spaces including the use of communal or shared tenement gardens.

The reopening of dental services in Scotland presents a number of specific challenges which the Chief Dental Officer and officials continue to strive to address in collaboration with NHS colleagues. At the present time the position of the Scottish Government remains the same as that when answering the question from Neil Bibby MSP of 21 May (SW5-29259) viz.:

“On 2 June 2020 the Cabinet Secretary for Health & Sport made a statement to the Scottish Parliament concerning the on-going delivery of NHS services as part of the Scottish Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this statement she indicated that work is being undertaken with dental teams to prepare for a phased introduction of dental services over the course of this month.

“The Chief Dental Officer for Scotland wrote to all dental contractors providing NHS dental services on 20 May with details of the remobilisation plan which is now to be implemented as circumstances permit.

“Remobilisation of NHS dental practices is an extremely complex process. We need to be mindful of the oral health needs of patients balanced against the wider situation with COVID-19, and the essential requirement that we reduce the risk of community transmission and protect both patients and dental teams. When making the decision on reopening dental practices in Scotland we will take into consideration the added risk of aerosol generating procedures on COVID-19 transmission and the availability of appropriate PPE.”

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 all our decisions on the phasing of changes to restrictions, we have to be conscious of the need to avoid the rapid spread of the virus and the NHS being overwhelmed. We appreciate that the current physical distancing measures are difficult, particularly for those who have been unable to see family, friends and partners. We will not keep them in place any longer than is necessary.

At each review stage, we are drawing on scientific evidence to inform which restrictions, if any, we are able to ease, and to shape the associated guidance. We hope that in Phase 2 we will be able to relax rules to allow people to meet with another household indoors, with appropriate guidance being issued and followed on physical distancing and hygiene measures to contain the spread of the virus. We are looking at the issue of couples who live apart in particular to see if we can provide some guidance that allows people to live their lives sensibly, but also in a way that is as safe as possible.

Until then, there remains a risk of the virus rapidly spreading and overwhelming our NHS if physical distancing is not observed. For that reason, the advice remains where possible to stay at home and to maintain a 2 metre distance when meeting members of another household outdoors. We will continue to monitor the situation and will advise when it is safe to relax restrictions further.

On the 7 May 2020, in a joint letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Kate Forbes MSP and myself to the Chancellor, we noted that the Job Retention Scheme is a lifeline for employers and employees, but highlighted that the scaling back of the scheme should be done in a carefully considered way that reflects the economic priorities of each of the four nations, and the different sectors of their economies.

Further, I wrote to the Chancellor on the 26 May 2020 to seek assurances that the extension of support to employers in each of the four nations, who have to comply with any differences in public health guidance that may be in place, would not change between now and the end of October.

The Job Retention Scheme has been an essential part of our collective response so far and the Scottish Government welcome the extension of the scheme. We also welcome the flexibility for employers to start work on a part time basis while still being supported through the scheme.

In addition, we are pleased that the scheme will enable employers to bring back their furloughed employees for any amount of time and any shift pattern. This will help employers to better ensure they are meeting the needs of their business and provide flexibility to employees particularly those with caring responsibilities and children.

The Scottish Government is seeking assurance that those accessing the scheme will not be impacted by the different approaches that Scottish Ministers might take to UK Ministers on workplace guidance. We do not have powers to create a separate Scottish furlough scheme – but there might be a different set of public health priorities or issues that our Ministers need to manage compared to the rest of the UK.

The target to have a total testing capacity of 15,000 by the end of May has been achieved. There is active weekday NHS lab capacity for over 6,500 tests a day (and weekend capacity of 5,350 tests a day). In addition, there is currently capacity for 10,000 tests a day from the Glasgow Lighthouse Laboratory, which analyses samples taken from regional testing centres, mobile testing units and community testing. The combination of the NHS and Lighthouse Lab capacity provides overall normal weekday capacity of over 16,500.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) are assessing a number of antibody tests in order to identify which will work best in Scotland. HPS, supported by the Inverness reference laboratory, commenced antibody prevalence testing on 6 May as part of enhanced surveillance testing and good progress is being made.

Through the work of the Health Protection Scotland surveillance team, a range of random samples from the general public are being collected to inform our understanding of the prevalence of Covid-19. This testing is for surveillance purposes.

The Scottish Government does not centrally collect information or data relating to the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiovascular Resuscitation (DNACPR) forms in hospitals.

As with all other clinical treatments, decisions about CPR should be based on the individual clinical circumstances and wishes of the patient and recorded appropriately. This is done in hard copy on a DNACPR form, the existence of which is then recorded on an individual’s Key Information Summary. Such information is only shared for the purposes of direct care and is therefore not centrally collected.