Chamber and committees

Our advice for adults and children over one year of age to take a daily 10 microgram vitamin D supplement is based on the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), as set out in its 2016 report Vitamin D and Health.

The report is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-vitamin-d-and-health-report

Ten micrograms is the average amount needed per day by the majority (97.5%) of the population to maintain adequate vitamin D levels when UVB sunlight exposure is minimal.

SACN published an updated rapid review on vitamin D and Acute Respiratory Tract Infections (ARTI) on 17 December 2020. It recommended the reference nutrient intake for vitamin D remain unchanged and reiterated that a vitamin D intake of 10 micrograms per day is recommended for the UK population aged 1 and above. The rapid review is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-rapid-review-vitamin-d-and-acute-respiratory-tract-infections

We have no plans to set up a national programme for vitamin D for people living in care homes or care at home settings. Anyone who needs vitamin D should receive it. Decisions to prescribe it in care homes or care at home settings is a matter for the individual’s clinician.

The Chief Medical Officer wrote to care home providers, including NHS Directors of Pharmacy, and Community Pharmacy Scotland on 21 January outlining that residents should be individually assessed for vitamin D supplements as part of their regular routine clinical review.

We will continue to be guided by SACN as the evidence base on vitamin D develops.

Vitamin D is not available through the NHS Pharmacy First Service. Decisions to prescribe vitamin D to people in care homes or care at home settings is a matter for the individual’s clinician.

The Chief Medical Office wrote to care home providers and others including NHS Directors of Pharmacy and Community Pharmacy Scotland on Thursday 21st January 2021 outlining that, residents should be individually assessed for vitamin D supplements as part of their regular routine clinical review. This is to ensure that the supplements would be of benefit and to check the need for co-prescribing with calcium as well as for the other contraindications or side effect. Care home staff are encouraged to discuss this with clinical colleagues as part of routine communication arrangements.

There are no armed forces personnel, regular or reserve, deployed in ICU wards or in patient facing roles in hospitals or other medical settings in Scotland.

A MACA (Military Aid for Civil Authorities) has been agreed with the armed forces to support the Covid Vaccines Programme, with approximately 80 personnel supporting this logistical work. The Scottish Government does not hold information as to whether the personnel deployed are regular or reserve personnel. The MOD are responsible for selecting the people with the necessary skills needed for the task.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34456 on‎ 29 January 2021. 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

The Scottish Government has already listed Vaccination sites for January and will continue to do so. NHS territorial boards have led on the identification and provision of vaccination sites and have been supported by the armed forces where required. Delivery Sites (www.gov.scot)

Groups (a) and (b) in the question refers to JCVI priority groups 6,7,8,9, as follows:

6. All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality and Unpaid carers.

7. All those 60 years of age and over.

8. All those 55 years of age and over.

9. All those 50 years of age and over.

For JCVI priority groups 6,7,8,9 - We expect to start these cohorts in March and aim to complete first doses by early May 2021 as set out in our Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment Plan published 14th Jan 202, subject to availability of supplies.

As the answer to question S5W-33155 outlined, this matter has been raised with stakeholders including the Clinical and Professional Advisory Group for Care Homes. The Chief Medical Officer wrote to Adult Care Home Providers, Primary care leads and others on 21 January 2021, outlining that all residents in adult care homes should be assessed for vitamin D supplements as part of their regular routine clinical review and that decisions on whether to prescribe vitamin D for care home residents, should be taken on an individual basis. This is to ensure that the supplements would be of benefit and to check the need for co-prescribing with calcium as well as for other contraindications or side effects.

The Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Act 2020 requires Scottish Ministers to lay a report before the Scottish Parliament on progress towards establishing a new Scottish agricultural policy no later than 31 December 2024.

Future rural policy, post-CAP, will be developed in co-production with farmer led groups supported by the Scottish Government.

The British Red Cross (BRC) are playing a leading role co-ordinating Voluntary and Community Sector support for the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Scotland. Scottish Government officials have been meeting weekly with the BRC Scotland Director, through the Voluntary and Community Sector Advisory Group (VCSAG), also chaired by the BRC Scotland Director. Official level discussions continue, to engage with health boards to process offers of support, and to explore how volunteers can contribute to the vaccination programme, as it rolls out across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has not engaged with St John’s Scotland about mobilising volunteers to take part in the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

On 14 January we published our Coronavirus (COVID-19): vaccine deployment plan 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . The plan describes the steps we will take to deliver 400,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine per week by the end of February subject to the necessary vaccine supply being made available. Workforce modelling estimates indicate that this will require a workforce of c. 1700 whole time equivalent (WTE) vaccinators and c. 950 WTE support staff.

We recognise that not every member of staff will work on a full-time basis and local headcount will be adjusted to reflect less-than-full-time working, predictable absence and clinic operating hours; health board work with these variables when undertaking local recruitment and setting rostering patterns. The total number of vaccinators and support staff by headcount is therefore likely to be significantly higher than the above WTE estimates. We regularly reassess board capacity through the programme and are monitoring the total pool of trained vaccinators that boards can access.

Data extracted on 19 January 2020 from the Covid Vaccinations Management Tool, shows that nationally boards have collectively registered approximately 7,500 vaccinators.