Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government acts on the basis of the latest guidance issued by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which considers all available evidence for the most appropriate vaccinations policy approach in the UK. Current JCVI advice remains that the single greatest risk of mortality and severe disease from COVID-19 is increasing age and COVID-19 risk increases exponentially with age.

Those registered as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) on the GP system are already included in group 4 of phase 1 of the JCVI priority list. Solid organ transplant recipients are deemed CEV and have been previously included on the Shielded Patient List. A hospital clinician or GP can also add a patient to the list, based on their clinical judgement, because they consider them to be at very high risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

All patients on the CEV list will also fall into the broader disease categories outlined in table 3 of the Green Book, Chapter 14a, but are in priority group 4 because of more recent treatment, more advanced condition or co-morbidities. Other patients in the same clinical risk group, but not on the CEV list at the time group 4 is called, are within priority group 6, or with their appropriate age cohort. Further information is available here: COVID-19: the green book, chapter 14a - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

On 30 June the JCVI published interim advice on adult COVID-19 booster vaccinations. The interim advice is to begin offering COVID-19 booster vaccines in September 2021, in a two-stage programme alongside the annual flu vaccination programme.

The JCVI will consider additional scientific data as it becomes available over the next few months ahead of formulating final advice. Accordingly, we shall consider the final advice issued on this matter and any adjustments JCVI may or may not recommend in light of additional scientific data it is presently considering, as this becomes available over the next few months.

We regularly engage with people who are at highest risk from COVID-19 through surveys, in-depth interviews and testing communications. Earlier this year we spoke directly to people at highest risk who have returned to the workplace as restrictions eased, to understand their challenges and what guidance and support may be needed when restrictions ease. Most recently, we launched a survey about the move to level 0 and beyond which asks how people are feeling about those changes. The results will be published late summer.

Three Disabled People’s Organisations (Inclusion Scotland, Disability Equality Scotland and Glasgow Disability Alliance) were consulted on the easing of restrictions.

Throughout the pandemic we have been engaging with both carers and carer organisations to ensure unpaid carers have the advice they need to help protect themselves and their loved ones during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The £3 million funding was part of the emergency COVID-19 support for culture, protecting jobs and addressing some of the financial pressures facing the three organisations. It was announced on 17 January 2021, comprising £1.4 million for Aberdeen Performing Arts, £800,000 for Eden Court Highlands and £800,000 for Capital Theatres. Funding is being delivered through Creative Scotland. The funding agreements with the three organisations require that the funds must be used in addressing the problems linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in order to enable the organisations to be financially stable in order to develop and present cultural activity when restrictions allow. Later in 2021 Creative Scotland will require the organisations to provide information on the use of funding, including how they have spent it, whether it has allowed them to maintain their workforce and stabilised their financial position.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to amend the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 in order to limit peat extraction for those with valid planning permission. The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 does however include a requirement for the Scottish Ministers to have regard to the desirability of preserving peatland when preparing the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4). The Scottish Government’s NPF4 Position Statement (Published November 2020) outlines an intention to rebalance the planning system so that climate change is a guiding principle for all plans and decisions, and states that the Scottish Government will aim to restrict commercial peat extraction for horticulture purposes.

(a) NHS Lothian recently submitted an updated Outline Business Case for the development of eye care services. This will be reviewed by Scottish Government’s NHS Capital Investment Group at their next meeting.

(b) The Scottish Government provided a progress update on major capital projects, including NHS infrastructure projects, to the Public Audit Committee by letter dated 23 June 2021 which can be accessed here:

Infrastructure Investment Major Capital Projects Progress Update 23 June 202 | Scottish Parliament Website .

Cancer continues to be a top priority for this Government. On 28 June I announced £10 million of funding to support cancer waiting times improvements during 2021-22. This funding will support targeted diagnostic activity, including for breast cancer. We have also provided five mobile MRI scanners and four mobile CT scanners to increase diagnostic capacity across NHS Scotland.

Our approach is for people to have access to the support they may need for assessment, diagnosis, care and rehabilitation in a setting that is as close to their home as possible. This is being supported through local primary care teams, community based rehabilitation services and secondary care investigation where needed.

NHS Boards, including our Island Boards are developing pathways according to local services and the needs of their respective populations, to support people with long COVID. We continue to engage with Boards to identify their support needs in relation to delivering care and support to people with long COVID.

In addition, we have invested over £460,000 in Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland to enable them to deliver their ‘Long COVID support service’ which complements the support being provided by NHS Scotland.

A publication by Public Health Scotland on 26th January 2021 showed the total number of GPs in Scotland was 5,134 as at 30th September 2020, a rise of 89 compared to 2019.

Public Health Scotland are currently analysing data collected from the 2019 Workforce Survey, which will show the Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) figure for GPs in Scotland. Scottish Government are planning to collect WTE data on an annual basis going forward.

Network Rail continues to progress early, on site, construction activities whilst the necessary development work for the complete project is progressed.

In June 2021, Network Rail announced as part of the East Kilbride Enhancements Project, Hairmyres station is moving to a new site off Redwood Avenue – approximately 600-metres to the west of its existing location.

Scotland’s Railway, South Lanarkshire Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) continue to work collaboratively to fund and develop the expanded transport interchange at Hairmyres to encourage more people out of their cars and onto trains.

Future updates can be sourced via the dedicated project pages in the Scotland’s Railway website:-

https://scotlandsrailway.com/projects/east-kilbride-enhancements

The timing for restarting the over-70’s self-referral scheme is regularly reviewed. The Breast Screening Programme Board (BSPB) agreed criteria to resume the option for women over 70 to self-refer in line with the programme’s recovery route map. The option for women over 70 to self-refer into the breast screening programme will resume once all screening centres are able to offer those aged 53-70 their breast screening appointments within 39 months of their previous screening. Progress towards this criteria is being closely monitored, and the National Screening Oversight, National Screening Committee and BSPB continue to work with Health boards to increase the number of available appointments within the programme.

Regardless of their age, women should remain symptom aware and report any symptoms to their GP immediately for these to be investigated.