The Design Team is the group of people with lived or living experience of drug harm that has been recruited by Deciding Matters, the small company charged with developing the nature and direction of the Stigma Plan (which was a recommendation of the Drug Death Task Force, rec. 22).

The call for expressions of interest asked for “ 20-24 people broadly representative of Scotland (age, gender, sex, race, disability with lived or living experience of substance use including family or friends of people with lived or living experience) who would like to inform how Scotland tackles stigma related to drugs and alcohol. Participants must be aged 18+” The existing group reflects that and were chosen through a recruitment process run by Deciding Matters.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS have reported or recorded 0 level three incidents since 2016.

Guidance on establishing the responsible commissioner has been issued to NHS Boards to ensure services are always provided in the best interests of the patient (CEL 06 (2013)).

As set out in this guidance and under article 2 of the Functions of Health Boards (Scotland) Order 1991, Health Boards have a responsibility to provide for the health care of patients living within their boundaries, i.e. patients who are “ordinarily resident” in their area. This includes when a Health Board refers a patient for whom they are responsible directly to another Health Board within Scotland or cross-border within the UK.

Two exceptions are designated national specialist services in both NHS Scotland and NHS England; and the commissioning of highly specialised services in NHS England. In such cases and through referral from the patient’s home Board, NHS National Services Scotland National Services Division (NSD) manages cross-border care through a financial risk share arrangement on behalf of all NHS Boards or, through an overarching Service Level Agreement in place with NHS England which allows Scottish patients to access highly specialist care.

In situations where the responsible commissioner is unclear, all facets of the NHS are expected to work together to reach agreement on a case by case basis.

In regards to reimbursement for travel specifically, a patient’s home Board is responsible for developing and applying local policy. This includes assessment of eligibility and the discretion to reimburse travel expenses where they are viewed to be an extension of treatment costs and are clinically necessary.

CoSLA and Scottish Government are undertaking a joint programme of engagement with local authorities to understand what they would find helpful to address hate crime and strengthen community cohesion at a local level. A toolkit is expected to publish in early 2025.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of early diagnosis of cancer and would expect any child or young adult presenting with potential cancer symptoms to be assessed as quickly as possible.

To support earlier diagnosis, a clinical refresh of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer is currently underway to help ensure the right person is on the right pathway at the right time and will be published in 2025.

This will include updated guidelines for suspected cancer in children and young people. These guidelines, developed with input from clinicians in primary and secondary care and third sector, will support primary care clinicians to identify those children and young people with symptoms suspicious of cancer who require urgent assessment by a specialist.

A new primary care cancer education platform – Gateway C – was launched on 30 April 2024 across NHS Scotland. Gateway C provides innovative and tailored information to support earlier cancer diagnosis efforts and enable effective decision-making. This free online platform is accessible to all primary care clinicians and includes specific education on cancers affecting children and young people.

The Scottish Government will provide a full response to the Committee’s report within two months of its publication as consistent with Parliamentary Guidance.

The Scottish Government remains committed to an all-age careers information and guidance offer that supports all people, including the specific needs of disabled and neurodiverse young people to progress rewarding careers.

In regards to training for teaching staff, we are working closely with local government partners to improve the experience of children and young people with additional support needs at school, implementing the recommendations of the 2020 review of additional support for learning Supporting documents - Additional support for learning: action plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). In November 2022, an updated action plan Additional Support for Learning review: action plan - November 2022 update - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) was published alongside a second progress report Additional Support for Learning review action plan: second progress report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). A further update is due to be published in the coming weeks.

Furthermore, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) are developing a new Continuous Professional Development (CDP) framework for careers practitioners with dedicated elements supporting transition support for disabled individuals. SDS also have mandatory internal learning highlighting Equality Responsibilities for all staff.

All planning and support for disabled children and young people should be underpinned by ‘Getting it right for every child’ (GIRFEC) – Scotland’s holistic approach to upholding the rights and wellbeing of our children and young people.

The Scottish Government will provide a full response to the Committee’s report within two months of its publication as consistent with Parliamentary Guidance.

Education authorities have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 to identify, provide for and review the additional needs of their pupils.

Where a young person needs support from other agencies to transition from school, the authority should work with those agencies, taking into consideration the views of the young person, to establish the support required and ensure it is put in place.

Skills Development Scotland’s careers advisers work closely with local schools to support young people with additional support needs, including disabled young people and this is captured in their school partnership agreements and close work with guidance and pastoral care to identify the young people who require more intensive support. They also offer support to transition planning and take an individual centred approach.

When a young person is expected to leave school the education authority has a duty to request and share information within specific timeframes to help support their transition. This should take place no later than 12 months before the expected leaving date. They must provide information to other agencies no later than six months before a child or young person is expected to leave school. Local authorities are encouraged to prepare for children and young peoples’ transitions wherever possible in advance of these timeframes.

All planning and support for disabled children and young people should be underpinned by ‘Getting it right for every child’ (GIRFEC) – Scotland’s holistic approach to upholding the rights and wellbeing of our children and young people. Using the GIRFEC approach, practitioners and lead professionals should support a child or young person's wellbeing through transitions by working alongside them and their family, and other practitioners involved in transition planning. They should ensure the views and rights of the young person and family are considered in decisions throughout a transition. Effective transfer of information between services during transitions, in line with information sharing guidance, is also essential to achieving successful outcomes for the child or young person and their family.

Monitoring will be expected as part of the grant award process. Successful applicants will be informed in due course.

Management of the NHS clinical waste contract is a matter for Health Boards, and management of the NHS’s relationship with the clinical waste contractor is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland’s (NSS) National Procurement and Logistics Service. The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government is aware of complaints of bullying by senior members of staff in the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).

Whilst Scottish Government provide support in applying the appropriate policies, this is a contractual issue which, by law, must remain between an employee and SAS as their employer. We expect all health boards to thoroughly investigate any complaints made about bullying, regardless of grade, and to ensure that these are appropriately actioned.