Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27663 on 3 June 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The route from Glasgow to Barrhead was electrified in December 2023. Electrification from Glasgow to East Kilbride is due to complete in December 2025. Plans to decarbonise the Fife Circle and Borders are in development.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27663 on 3 June 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage with the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty and other international climate change initiatives as part of a wider ongoing programme of analysis and engagement with a range of organisations and stakeholders.

The Scottish Government provided the following objectives to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland covering financial years 2020-21 to 2024-25:

2024-25

Thrombectomy education

• Continued delivery of Stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) Assessment Training (STAT+) education sessions to NHS boards to incorporate recent changes to thrombectomy services and to ensure all new staff within NHS Boards have the required knowledge and skills in their role.
• Continued offer of delivery of thrombectomy information sessions to staff across the stroke pathway and out with acute services i.e. stroke rehabilitation units, allied health professions, community stroke nurses.
• Continued delivery of virtual Link up and Learn education sessions to healthcare professionals working in stroke across Scotland, ensuring allocated sessions for thrombectomy updates.
• Continued promotion of this programme and the Scottish Government approach to supporting the implementation of thrombectomy services at external engagement events, conferences and training sessions.
• Continued liaison with the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme Coordinator and the Scottish Government on outcomes achieved within Health Boards in relation to Thrombectomy Education to support Stroke Improvement Plan measures.
• In partnership with the Stroke Speciality Advisor to Chief Medical Officer and Stroke Improvement Programme Lead, carry out scoping of Face Arms Speech Time (FAST) education required across clinical staff groups e.g. Scottish Ambulance Service and Emergency D staff, and to implement FAST education to enhance recognition of stroke symptoms

2022-23

Social Isolation and Loneliness (SIAL) Winter funding package

• Translation of materials into Polish, Ukranian, Urdu and Punjabi. Proposed impact: Total 4,500 people reached (1,500 copies distributed and 3,000 impressions on the website.)
• Recruitment of Urdu and Punjabi-speaking volunteers. Impact: Work towards 10 bilingual volunteers recruited with 10 people supported initially. Total of 40 contacts per month (4 contacts per person per month).

Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest bystander aftercare project

• Engagement with Scottish Ambulance Service to agree effective contact mechanism
• Development of bystander support website landing page
• Development and refinement of debrief script
• Initiation of bystander support service
• Mixed methods evaluation

Thrombectomy education

• Redesign of the STAT + service to take into account recent changes in delivery of thrombectomy services to ensure education reflects practice.
• Continued delivery of STAT+ education sessions to Boards to incorporate recent changes to thrombectomy service.
• Offer of thrombectomy information sessions to staff across the stroke pathway and out with acute services i.e. stroke rehabilitation units, allied health professionals, community stroke nurses.
• Offer of delivery of a virtual re-fresher course to NHS boards to incorporate recent changes to thrombectomy service.
• Continued delivery of virtual Link up and Learn education sessions, twice per month, to healthcare professionals working in stroke across Scotland ensuring allocated sessions for thrombectomy updates.

Long Covid

• People with long COVID access support and proactive advice around self-management which promotes recovery, in parallel with wider clinical management and complementing NHS interventions.
• People with long COVID can access or be signposted to relevant sources of support including advice on social security entitlements or debt management.
• People living with long COVID accessing the service report positive outcomes, including reporting a positive experience of accessing the service, feeling listened to, feeling supported to look after their health and wellbeing, feeling supported to do the things that matter to them, and achieving personal outcomes identified as goals at the start of their engagement with the service.

Long Covid

• Integrate the long COVID application developed by Pogo studios in to the system that CHSS uses for clinical records, appointments, calls, collection of data and evaluation provision to service.
• Improve patient experience by reducing time between the acceptance of support and the onboarding of patients into the CHSS system.
• To enable improved reporting methods and data collection.
• Allow for automatic reporting to take place between GPs and the CHSS teams to ensure a shared care approach.
• Simplify data sharing elements.

2021-22

Social Isolation and Loneliness (SIAL) Summer fund

• To tackle Social Isolation and loneliness.

Tailored Talks

• We will collaborate to develop an innovative digital presentation platform which will deliver comprehensive information to patients and carers with a wide range of neurological conditions to support shared decision making, consent and signposting.
• Tailored Talks allows health and social care professionals and people working in third sector organisations to provide information which is tailored to each individual patient’s needs.
• This information can be shared on screen during face-to-face meetings/consultations, on paper (for people without access to digital technology or who are not keen to use it), and also remotely by emailed pdf or via weblinks so that patients and their carers can access the information on their mobile devices, PCs or laptop computers.

Thrombectomy education

• STAT+ and pre-requisites to be added to the National Stroke Education Pathway
• Finalisation of Thrombectomy booklet and compiled into a standardised national booklet for distribution to NHS boards
• The 6 month questionnaire to a named attendee in each session ensuring attendees have sustained and applied the learning will require to be delayed until thrombectomy services are established to ensure data collected is robust
• Extension of thrombectomy education project for 2022-23 to ensure continued delivery of STAT+ education sessions and refresher sessions.
• Consider roll out of STAT+ virtually during national lockdown
• Development of a virtual re-fresher course due to extended period of thrombectomy services roll out.

2020-21

Winter support funding (Covid) including top up

• Kindness Volunteer Programme – tackling social isolation and loneliness through kindness calls

Tailored Talks

• We will collaborate to develop an innovative digital presentation platform which will deliver comprehensive information to patients and carers with a wide range of neurological conditions to support shared decision making, consent and signposting.
• Tailored Talks allows health and social care professionals and people working in third sector organisations to provide information which is tailored to each individual patient’s needs.
• This information can be shared on screen during face-to-face meetings/consultations, on paper (for people without access to digital technology or who are not keen to use it), and also remotely by emailed pdf or via weblinks so that patients and their carers can access the information on their mobile devices, PCs or laptop computers.

Long Covid

• As a result of Covid-19, to support vulnerable individuals and those in need, to help communities respond to the needs and challenges they are experiencing, and protect the wellbeing of the people of Scotland.

Supporting the NHS in dealing with COVID-19

• The funding will allow Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland to develop its hospital discharge and community services for people with lung conditions, including those affected by Covid-19.
• The service will provide one to one support for patients in their homes over the phone and/or through video-conferencing.
• The funding will enable nurses and rehabilitation teams to expand digitally to meet the need for help. The funding will also see 400 of the charity’s volunteers equipped to enable them to provide vital 1-to-1 support to people to stay well at home.
• Specifically, through the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Covid-19 Discharge and Community Unit:

oCHSS nurses will facilitate quick discharge for people following treatment for Covid-19 by working with them to build their confidence to come home via telephone and VC support.

oPeople will be referred to CHSS rehabilitation support team to maintain any rehab exercises to help with breathing, mental health and management of the impact of Covid-19 on their long-term condition.

oThey would then be referred into one of the 140 local peer support groups for advice and support in the community.

• This funding will enable to CHSS to put the necessary systems in place to deliver this:

oCall centre set up and on costs - £10,000

o38 Laptops, headsets and IT support - £40,000

oPhones and laptops for 400 discharge support volunteers - £280,000

Thrombectomy education

• An evidence based online thrombectomy e-learning module as part of Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland’s proposed national thrombectomy education programme, and:
• A national thrombectomy education programme in the form of evidence based clinical education sessions in the care of patients who are eligible for, and may have undergone thrombectomy as a procedure post stroke to support NHS Boards throughout Scotland.

Individual local authorities have responsibility for the development and delivery of flood protection schemes. Every location at risk is unique and therefore the business case for improving flood resilience will reflect this.

Where a flood protection development may have a significant impact on a European site, then under the Habitats Regulations an appropriate assessment must be carried out by the Local Authority to determine whether an impact on the integrity of the designated site is likely. Should the appropriate assessment conclude an adverse impact on integrity then the Local Authority must apply for a derogation from Scottish Ministers to allow the development to proceed. One of the three tests which must be satisfied under the Habitats Regulations before a derogation is granted is that the development is of imperative reasons of over-riding public interest.

Flood protection schemes are an effective way to improve flood resilience for the design flood, they are not an absolute guarantee that flooding will not occur. Events beyond the design flood are possible and a residual risk will always remain. It is up to individual local authorities to determine what level of protection they deem appropriate considering the impacts of climate change and wider environmental factors in the area of the flood protection works.

Operational matters are ultimately the responsibility of the infrastructure owner, including how their operations may be impacted in the event of a flood.

Where a flood protection development may have a significant impact on a European site, then under the Habitats Regulations an appropriate assessment must be carried out by the Local Authority to determine whether an impact on the integrity of the designated site is likely. Should the appropriate assessment conclude an adverse impact on integrity then the Local Authority must apply for a derogation from Scottish Ministers to allow the development to proceed. One of the three tests which must be satisfied under the Habitats Regulations before a derogation is granted is that the development is of imperative reasons of over-riding public interest.

We have made a commitment, under the Nurture strand of the National Workforce Strategy to support leadership and talent management across NHS Scotland. We know that succession planning for senior roles is an urgent priority to ensure the continuity of service delivery and reform – and that we need to ensure we are also developing our pipeline of future leaders. We further emphasised the importance of this with the publication of Improving Wellbeing and Working Cultures in July, which set out our ambition to enhance working cultures through programmes of work that focus on the pillars of: wellbeing, leadership and equality.

As we face one of the most challenging financial circumstances since devolution, we are focussed on taking forward affordable actions that will have the biggest impact on progressing our priorities. Leadership learning and development will be delivered both nationally and locally, as appropriate, supported by the sharing of good practice and guidance across organisational boundaries. This will ensure that we continue to make appropriate savings while utilising the best of the resources we have to maintain high quality leadership in our NHS.

We continue support leadership and talent development at all leadership levels, delivered nationally by NHS Education for Scotland. This includes onboarding support for new NHS Chief Executives, including executive coaching, mentoring and peer learning opportunities, as well as support for identified aspiring chief executives.

We have looked to ensure best value for money from interventions supporting senior systems leaders, and are launching adaptive learning sets, utilising skilled inhouse staff to facilitate cross system peer learning. We have a range of free to access digital tools and resources that can be used by staff at any leadership level, including senior administrators, to support their personal leadership development.

We are continually reviewing our leadership learning and talent development offerings for leaders, to ensure that we both deliver on the need to make the best value of public money, while still ensuring that critical skills of leadership are continually supported and developed.

At the request of the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Miri McAllan MSP, Scottish Government officials are engaging with Falkirk Council officials on a taskforce to deliver improved flood resilience for Falkirk and Grangemouth. There have been three meetings of the taskforce to date, with the next meeting scheduled for the start of October. The taskforce reports back regularly to the Cabinet Secretary.

Since 2019/20, the Scottish Government has invested, in the pursuance of its Programme for Government commitments, over £19 million across five years to support student mental health and wellbeing in colleges and universities and to help institutions to transition to a more sustainable means of providing mental health support for students. The cessation of this funding – referred to in the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government’s letter – was extensively discussed with the sector, including when transition funding was put in place for Academic Year 2023-24.

Our new Student Mental Health Action Plan, published on 13 September, seeks to move to a mainstreamed approach to student mental health which will help students better access services. The Government will work with NHS Boards, CoSLA, Public Health Scotland and community based providers to join up support that is already available, embedding students’ mental health needs into the wider communities in which they live and study.

The Action Plan recognises the importance of each college and university having a Student Mental Health Agreement in place. To enable this we continue to support NUS Think Positive with £130,000 in 2024-25.

Based on administrative data currently available, detail on the number of exceptions approved by the Scottish Government and public bodies between 1 July 2023 and 31 March 2024 will be published by the end of September on the Fair and inclusive workplaces webpage.