Chamber and committees

A detailed update against each of the BAA recommendations was included in a recent NHS Lothian Board meeting, these can be accessed at NHS Lothian Board Papers 05 April 2023.pdf

NHS Lothian have confirmed that at the time of the BAA audit, the PCHI register had 643 patients recorded. 107 of those were aged greater than 18 years of age. As of 16 May 2023 there are 725 children on the PCHI register. This is a dynamic register adding children when hearing loss is diagnosed, and transitioning young people to adult care when exiting education.

Whilst it is possible for NHS Lothian to identify which local authority children on this register reside, this information is not routinely recorded and NHS Lothian have committed to provide this information which will be shared with the member when it is available.

NHS Lothian advise that behavioural testing is undertaken where part of the agreed clinical pathway. To date 89 children have attended for behavioural testing.

With regards to progress made on reviewing auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing undertaken in the previous five years, and when any report on this will be published. This work has been completed by the BAA with a review of all ABRs of all births back to 2017. The second report from the BAA will be made publicly available in July 2023 when all the reviews are completed.

NHS Lothian have confirmed that 147 children were identified by the BAA for clinical review.

As of 16 May 2023, there are 26 who have had a missed diagnosis, delayed management, or a change to their management since the recall process started. In some cases, the change to management was not as a direct result of the audit in isolation.

31 children have since been recalled by the service following the review of the permanent congenital hearing impairment (PCHI) record.

Information on the (a) longest, (b) average and (c) median waiting time for answered telephone calls in 2023 to date is provided in the following table.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17864 on 23 May 2023. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17864 on 23 May 2023. 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

Information on the (a) longest, (b) average and (c) median waiting time for answered webchats in 2023 to date is provided in the following table.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17864 on 23 May 2023. 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 is working with key business sectors, Scottish Water, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and other stakeholders to make sure water is used efficiently.

We continue to invest in the public network, reducing leakage and increasing water efficiency which helps conserve water in the environment, and we are working to develop technologies and other approaches to enhance resilience during extended periods of water scarcity.

SEPA, applies controls on water usage through abstraction licences. It also works with stakeholders to better communicate the impacts of water scarcity, and encourage water users to develop contingency plans to minimise their impact on the environment, and make their business more resilient.

Work with Scottish Water’s non-domestic customers has been ongoing. Scottish Water encourages its customers to use water efficiently and businesses are metered, and Licensed Providers are encouraged to provide water efficiency advice to their customers so that water is saved and bills are reduced.

Leakage has reduced continually year on year since 2006. In its regulatory determination for the 2015-21 period, the water industry commission for Scotland (WICS) set a target for Scottish Water to achieve the Economic Level of Leakage (ELL) (500 Megalitres per day) by 2019-20. Scottish Water achieved this target four years early and is continuing to reduce leakage further.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17864 on 23 May 2023. 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 works with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and stakeholders to protect the natural environment and wildlife from water shortages. Our River Basin Management Plan identifies areas in Scotland already impacted by abstractions and sets out objectives to improve those watercourses.

Over the last 12 months SEPA have continued to implement Scotland’s national water scarcity plan which sets out how water resources will be managed prior to and during periods of prolonged dry weather. SEPA has also produced regular water scarcity reports during the summer months.

SEPA and the Scottish Government continues to work closely with stakeholders to assist businesses in their planning for managing future seasonal water shortages. This includes launching a communications campaign on 2 May to raise awareness, and work over the past 12 months alongside the Farm Advisory Service to ensure businesses have the information they need to prepare for water scarcity.

Scottish Water has reduced leakage from its public water supply system, and is also providing advice and guidance to business and domestic water users. For agricultural businesses, the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme has offered support for establishing irrigation lagoons to improve water storage.

The length of closures (in hours / minutes) of the A9 between Inverness and Perth due to an accident between 2018 and 2023 (to date), month by month are detailed in the following table: