Chamber and committees

In Scotland gaming addiction in children and young people is treated as a compulsive disorder and not as a standalone condition. The Scottish Government understands that compulsive disorders such as gaming addiction can be both debilitating and distressing. We expect children and young people in Scotland with any compulsive disorders to receive the appropriate help and support that they need when they need it.

Since 2020 we have invested over £300,000 to provide a range of resources for children, young people and parents on healthy use of screen time, social media, online gaming and their known impacts on sleep and emotional and mental wellbeing. This includes the ‘Mind yer time’ web resource, created in partnership with the Scottish Youth Parliament and Children’s Parliament, and advice hosted on ParentClub.Scot .‎

In common with other issues classed as addiction or compulsive behaviours we would direct children, young people and their families who have concerns around gaming addiction to seek support from their GP in the first instance.

Treatment for compulsive disorders or addiction is delivered by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and ongoing support for those children and young people facing these issues is provided through local NHS boards.

As the previous Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care set out in his letter of 23 March to the Convener of the Finance and Public Administration Committee, the Scottish Government will provide a response to the Committee's report and an update to the Financial Memorandum once we have received and considered the final report on the Bill from the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. The letter is available on the Scottish Parliament's website at National Care Service Scotland Bill updated Financial Memorandum response | Scottish Parliament Website .

The Scottish Government is not aware of any evidence of distance decay in relation to health outcomes in Scotland.

Responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs). For NHS Boards that cover remote and rural settings, local planning is expected to take account of the particular needs of these communities. Officials engage with Health Boards and HSCPs on a regular basis to review health outcomes.

Good engagement is essential to good service planning. And there is no doubt that greater participation brings better outcomes for communities all round.

Scotland's national and local governments are committed to involving people and communities in the decision-making that affects them. Nowhere is that more vital than in the development of the health and social care services, which we all rely on.

Listening to the views of people who use services, and involving them throughout the process of planning care delivery, is a key improvement recommendation of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland.

As part of our commitment to these aims, a revised version of Planning with People has been published. Planning with People has been updated to take account of recommendations and feedback from people working in and using health and social care services, community and equality groups, and the third sector. We would like to thank everyone who took part in the review for their time and input.

Planning with People promotes real collaboration between NHS Boards, Integration Joint Boards and Local Authorities. It sets out the responsibilities each organisation has to community engagement when services are being planned, or changes to services are being considered, and supports them to involve people meaningfully.

We encourage everyone in Scotland to get involved in shaping the care services they receive. Ultimately, it is their experience that will be the real measure of what impact it is making.

The First Minister will convene an anti-poverty summit on 3 May 2023 to help guide future action to tackle poverty and inequality in Scotland.

Those invited include experts, anti-poverty campaigners, people with lived experience, representatives from the third sector, local government and business, as well as cross-party representatives of the Scottish Parliament.

The names of guests who have accepted an invitation to attend events hosted by Scottish Ministers are routinely published. This information will be made available in due course at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/ .

The Scottish Government places great importance on the safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport.

We have met with Boxing Scotland to discuss their proposals around minimum criteria for white collar boxing events.

It is the responsibility of individual boxing event organisers, and any other contact sports, to ensure that they have the appropriate procedures in places to protect the wellbeing of those taking part in their events.

We strongly urge all boxing event organisers to work with Boxing Scotland to ensure that robust measures and protocols are in place to reduce the risk of serious injury and protect the safety of those who take part.

The requested information on how many pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have been recruited since 1 April 2022 can be found on the following link: Pharmacy report 2022 | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

The requested information on how many (c) advanced nursing practitioners and (e) mental health workers have been recruited since 1 April 2022 can be found on the following links:

Advanced nurse practitioners: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (LoSD (only N&M) & AHP) tab

Psychiatric specialty consultants and mental health nurses: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (consultant and nursing & midwifery drop downs)

Child and Adolescent Mental health Services: 07 March 2023 CAMHS | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

The requested information on how many advanced paramedics, musculoskeletal physiotherapists and community link workers have been recruited since 1 April 2022 is not centrally held.

Information on how many paramedics and physiotherapists have been recruited since 1 April 2022 can be found on the following link:

NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (allied health professional drop down)

The Scottish Government places great importance on leisure facilities and believes everyone should have access to these services.

We are fully aware of the issues facing many sports facilities, particularly swimming pools, and the specific issue of energy costs has been raised with us.

Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport has met with Community Leisure UK on a number of occasions to discuss the challenges and will also raise the issues facing public leisure facilities when she meets with COSLA shortly.

sport scotland, our nation agency for sport, continues to hold regular and ongoing discussions with its partners, including local authorities, COSLA, and Scottish Swimming (the sport’s governing body), to discuss the challenges facing the sporting sector.

sport scotland are supporting Scottish Swimming to deliver a Scottish Swimming Facilities Project. Scottish Swimming recently appointed a contractor to undertake the detailed piece of work to understand accurately the current pool provision, life cycle and predict the landscape in the short, medium, and long term. Conclusions are expected by July 2023.

In addition COSLA are member of the Active Scotland Delivery Group which considers how Scotland can become a more active nation and how we can collaboratively address the challenges we face.

Local sport and leisure facilities, including swimming pools, are vital in supporting the physical and mental health of the nation.

We understand the challenging financial circumstances of operating and maintaining leisure facilities faced by local authorities, largely due to the cost of living crisis. It is the statutory responsibility of all local authorities to manage and maintain their school estate, including swimming pools.

Following the announcement by the UK Government of the financial package to support swimming pools in England, we are considering what support, including ensuring the longer term sustainability and energy efficiency of these facilities, can be provided to the sport and leisure sector in Scotland.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with sportscotland, local authorities, COSLA, Community Leisure UK and Scottish Swimming to understand the challenges facing swimming pools and leisure facilities.

The number of General Practices located in the most and least deprived areas in Scotland is shown in the following table, based on data published by Public Health Scotland relating to 1 January 2023.