Chamber and committees

The current COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented and requires all of our NHS services to adapt, in light of the effect on public health, including the health of staff, and also in line with measures introduced to reduce spread of the virus. Provision of safe and high quality maternity care has continued to be a priority for the NHS, and maternity services, whilst having to adapt, have continued, as far as possible, to provide women with choices in relation to birth. .

On 6 April we provided all Clinical Directors and Heads of Midwifery with guidance on minimum agreed standards for planned maternity care. This guidance operates alongside that issued by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Royal College of Midwives that has issued since the outbreak began. This guidance is kept up to date, with the most recent version issuing on 19 May.

Boards have adapted to local circumstances to provide the maximum amount of scheduled antenatal and postnatal maternity care, and a range of options for birth in relation to local staffing and other circumstances, reducing to the minimum only as a last resort. Services that have been temporarily stood down will be reinstated at the earliest opportunity and all Boards in Scotland have plans in place to address this.

The Scottish Government is very grateful to everyone who has stepped forward to offer their services in support of the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the beginning of the pandemic, a Health and Social Care Covid 19 Accelerated Recruitment Portal was established by NHS Education Scotland to allow those who held a midwifery registration within the last three years, or were in their second or third year of study to become a midwife, to register their availability to support NHS Scotland. Independent midwives were also eligible to register with the portal.

This portal has been very successful with over 23,000 applicants offering their support. As 26 May 2020, 71 midwives have completed an expression of interest form on the portal. In addition, 343 student midwives have also completed an expression of interest form and of these, 321 have completed the process and are either in employment or soon to be employed by NHS Boards. Due to the success of the recruitment portal, at present new registrations have been temporarily paused.

There may be other opportunities for independent midwives, maternity assistants and doulas to support NHS Scotland during this pandemic. Those who qualify should monitor the Health and Social Care Covid 19 Accelerated Recruitment Portal at https://careers.nhs.scot/coronavirus-covid-19-recruitment/ . Or alternatively, healthcare workers can monitor the NHS Scotland Recruitment website for NHS Board positions which are available, or approach their local Health Board.

The Scottish Budget announced in February 2020, demonstrated the Scottish Governments ongoing commitment to helping those furthest from the labour market move towards and into work. In 2020-21 we are continuing to invest more than £33 million to support those who are most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of the current pandemic, which will be essential in supporting Scotland’s economic recovery.

The funding includes continued delivery of Fair Start Scotland, which has an increased budget this year, from £20m in 2019-20 to £21.48m reflecting the maturity of the service as we move into the third year of delivery.

The remainder of the funding will support other employability services including No One Left Behind, Community Jobs Scotland, Delivering Your Potential and Our Future Now.

The term counselling covers a wide range of therapeutic approaches. Some of these are highly defined and regulated (e.g. counselling psychologists), whereas others are not. Some counselling is delivered by therapists who are registered with a professional organisation that has been accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). This means they have met the PSA's required professional standards to practise. The Scottish Government expects counselling professionals providing online mental health counselling during the COVID-19 outbreak to follow the guidance of their relevant professional organisation and to be trained to the level required by that organisation. Any variation of guidance or training requirements for practicing as a registered member of the professional counselling organisation is a matter for the professional organisation.

The Scottish Government published information on the allocation each local authority would receive through the Food Fund on 5 April 2020. This is available on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/news/coronavirus-food-fund/

Local authorities have been given flexibility in how to deploy the £30 million allocated to them through this funding, meaning that they are able to consider what measures would be best implemented locally. The guidance shared encourages a cash first approach where practical.

This investment is supporting over 150,000 children to access Free School Meals - a direct financial transfer approach is being taken to this provision in 12 local authorities.

We have agreed light-touch monthly reporting from local authorities in relation to wider support offered, including key activities delivered, estimated reach and challenges faced.

Our cash first approach is supported by more than doubling investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund, committing an additional £45 million on top of the £35.5m set out for the Fund in the Scottish Budget. This approach will help to relieve pressures on the rest of the system, ensuring people are able to buy the food they need where it is possible for them to safely do so.

Despite the significant impact of Covid-19 on Scottish Government business, we remain fully committed to introducing new regulations covering dog, cat and rabbit breeders, pet sellers, animal sanctuaries and rehoming activities in this Parliamentary session.

The work to deliver this legislation continues to progress and we will lay a draft of these regulations before the Scottish Parliament for its approval as soon as possible.

Since becoming aware that NHS England have been shielding splenectomy patients, the Interim Chief Medical Officer for Scotland and Interim Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland engaged urgently with the UK Government, as the UK Chief Medical Officers have all agreed to seek consistency across the shielding list to support patients across the UK.

Following a meeting of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable Group UK Clinical Review Panel on 29 April, and subsequent discussions with the other nations, the Interim Chief Medical Officer for Scotland and Interim Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland agreed to include splenectomy patients in the ‘highest risk’ groups that require shielding.

We will, as a matter of urgency, issue letters to those affected and update guidance for GPs and clinicians.

There is a lot to consider around the re-opening of schools and early learning settings ahead of the science indicating that we are able to do so. The recently established C-19 Education Recovery Group is looking into a range of issues, and ensuring that learners, including those with additional support needs are able to progress with their education and be prepared for the school year ahead is of course a part of this. The group, chaired by the Deputy First Minister, will be working with key stakeholders to ensure that we consider all sensible options.

On 20 April 2020 the Scottish Government also published comprehensive guidance to help support continuity for children and young people's learning for the term ahead. This is available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/supporting-pupils-parents-teachers-learning-during-term-4/

This guidance is for pupils, parents and teachers and was prepared by the Scottish Government and Education Scotland with input from CoSLA, SOLACE, ADES and professional associations. It gives an overview of the measures in place and steps being taken, at a national and local level, to support all children and young people in Scotland.

Local authorities, head teachers and teachers are experienced and skilled in leading transition arrangements. For Term 4, and looking ahead to the next session, schools, clusters and local authorities are considering new and innovative approaches to transition in relation to curriculum and wellbeing matters. This will include consideration of a wide range of factors, including the challenges faced by young people who have been particularly affected by COVID-19. This could be due to illness or bereavement, the impact of social isolation or experiencing poverty for the first time. The importance of relationships at a local level is paramount to successful work in this area.

The Scottish Government has published has published new guidance - Supporting Pupils, Parents and Teachers: Learning in Term 4 - to support the home learning of children and young people. This is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/supporting-pupils-parents-teachers-learning-during-term-4/

To support local authorities and schools, Education Scotland is developing further bespoke Term 4 guidance to assist in planning for the many transitions that take place during Term 4. These materials will be available in early May.

We recognise that children and young people with autism may be finding things particularly challenging during this difficult time.

Local authorities have developed a range of creative ways to support children and young people with a wide range of needs during this challenging time. This includes creating opportunities for distance and online learning and the use of a range of learning resources which can be adapted to meet the learning needs of children and young people.

The Scottish Government has developed a range of information and guidance, including specific advice within Coronavirus (COVID-19): supporting pupils, parents and teachers - learning during term 4 and on Parent Club for parents and carers to help them to support children and young people with a range of needs, including autism when learning at home; comprehensive guidance to help support continuity for children and young people’s learning for the term ahead; updating the Autism Toolbox to include a section on coronavirus, which provides information and signposting on supporting autistic learners at home.