Chamber and committees

Following a review of services and in order to prioritise access to specialist sexual health services for those in greatest need, NHS Lanarkshire have made a decision to centralise non-Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) prescription appointments to Coathill Hospital. Patients are still able to access non-LARC contraception (such as the pill) at Coathill Hospital or through their GP, which may be more convenient for them. Appointments for LARC continue to be available throughout the wider sexual health service in Lanarkshire.

The Scottish Government does not know at this juncture what the rolling out of Jess’s Rule will require in terms of implementation either by GPs or NHS England. We will be in a position to consider the benefits of the rule when we know more.

However, the Scottish Government understands that the RCGP learning resource which supports “Jess’s Rule” is available to GPs who are members in Scotland as well as in England. We would encourage GPs to make use of this resource.

The provision of healthcare services is the responsibility of NHS boards. We expect all boards to ensure that their services are informed by current clinical best practice. In commissioning boards’ plans for the recently announced £4.5 million a year in funding for ME/CFS, long-COVID and other similar conditions, we have stressed the importance of ensuring that services are informed by current clinical best practice, such as National Institute for Excellence in Healthcare (NICE) guidelines NG:206 and NG:188- which are available to clinicians across the UK.

The Scottish Government does not know at this juncture, what the rolling out of Jess’s Rule will require in terms of implementation either by GPs or NHS England or what the impact will be for patients. We will monitor the implementation by NHS England.

The Brand Scotland media spend can be found here Marketing spend - gov.scot

Effectiveness of Brand Scotland marketing is assessed throughout and at the conclusion of activity reviewing a combination of metrics and using an independent market research agency where relevant. Brand Scotland plays a key role in Scotland’s reputation and how it is perceived internationally which is critical to support Scotland’s economy. Since 2008, the Scottish Government has used the Anholt Nation Brands Index to assess and monitor how Scotland is perceived around the world. In 2024 Scotland had a score of 65.1 and rose one place in terms of its overall rank of 15th out of 50 nations indicating that Scotland’s reputation is strong and continues to grow. Full results can be found here The Anholt Nation Brands Index®: 2024 report for Scotland - gov.scot

Brand Scotland has been effective in reaching widespread international audiences e.g. in 2024-25 a BBC Worldwide media partnership that reached 29.5 million and organic social reached 23.5 million with total users of Scotland.org has growing from 1.39 million in 2023-24 to 1.89 million in 2024-25 and 89,249 total referrals to partners.

Brand tracking research by an independent market research agency in 2025 showed that 25% of people in the target markets of US, UK, France and Germany could recall Brand Scotland advertising. Amongst these campaign recognisers 88% claimed to have taken an action after seeing the campaign (e.g. 33% talking to friends and family, 33% researching visiting or going to Scotland on holiday and 28% talking to other people). The BBC’s in-house emotional engagement measurement tool found strong sentiment uplift after viewing of Brand Scotland films for 2024-25. 61% of viewers believed that ‘Scotland is a progressive nation’ after viewing the campaign, with a 45% uplift (compared to a control group of non-viewers of the campaign) in belief that ‘Scotland is innovative’.

Although we are not aware of any bespoke programmes aimed at supporting graduates in immunology or pharmacology to find employment, graduates of all disciplines have access to careers support from a variety of sources.

Although the exact provision will depend on the institution, graduates from university will normally have access to the university careers service for a period of time after they graduate. This typically includes digital resources; appointments with careers advisers; assistance finding and applying for jobs; attendance at employer events; and access to webinars and workshops. Graduates are encouraged to make use of their university’s resources to help find employment in their chosen field.

In addition, careers advice and support is available to all individuals, including graduates, from Skills Development Scotland. Careers advisers are based in locations throughout Scotland and can be contacted by phone, digitally or in person at a local careers centre.

If a person is diagnosed with endometriosis, the Scottish Government wants them to be treated as close to home as clinically appropriate. Most individuals can be managed by a gynaecologist with expertise and training in endometriosis within secondary care.

Specialist endometriosis centres in Scotland provide coordinated, multidisciplinary treatment to women who have complex symptoms of endometriosis and to those who need complex surgery. Patients who meet the criteria of the specialist centres should be fully supported to access these services.

Patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes provide financial assistance for patients and authorised escorts travelling to hospital appointments, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements. The Scottish Government provides guidance to NHS Boards, which are responsible for developing and applying their own policies and reimbursement rates, ensuring patient care and safety.

The next phase of the Women’s Health Plan is expected to be published in January 2026.

The regulation of consumer protection, including trading standards, is reserved to the UK Government and managed by local authorities and COSLA.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of trading standards and is considering this report in full. We will engage with the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) in due course.

The Scottish Government has held no talks with the General Dental Council (GDC) regarding the provision and publication of statistics relating to private dental clinics. Regulation of dentists is reserved to the UK parliament and the GDC is the independent statutory regulator for the dental team. It does not however regulate dental premises, with Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) being the regulator of independent clinics in Scotland. Where available, HIS publishes inspection reports for independent clinics on its register.