Chamber and committees

I discussed the subject of the HSE improvement notice at a meeting with the SFRS Chair and Chief Officer on 6 March. I received and welcome the reassurances provided that SFRS is committed to addressing the concerns raised through the formation of a working group to ensure robust management of actions planned to meet the requirements of the improvement notice. SFRS is engaging with HSE, local councillors, staff and unions on this subject.

The recently passed Scottish Budget for 2025-26 includes £412.2 million for SFRS, £47m of which is capital funding. In terms of capital funding this is a £4 million increase over 2025-26 which will allow SFRS to continue to invest in better facilities, property, fleet and equipment. Operational decisions on the allocation of resources are a matter for the SFRS board and Chief Officer.

NHS Education for Scotland provide a range of resources and training programmes for GPs and the current GP curriculum comprehensively covers gastrointestinal issues.

A new primary care cancer education platform – Gateway C – was launched on 30 April 2024 in NHS Scotland, supported by NES. Gateway C provides innovative and tailored information to support earlier cancer diagnosis efforts and enable effective decision-making. This free online platform is accessible to all primary care clinicians including pharmacists, dentists, and optometrists.

We have also funded the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) with a specific workstream continuing to promote improvements in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) care, which is being taken forward through the MPPP’s National Gastroenterology Speciality Delivery Group (SDG). They have developed a national IBD pathway for NHS Scotland which was published in January 2025: inflammatory-bowel-disease-ibd-pathway.pdf. The Gastroenterology SDG is also developing a lower gastrointestinal pathway which will provide primary care guidance about testing and diagnosis for people with IBD and Coeliac Disease in Scotland.

The Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRG) for Suspected Cancer have also been developed to support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of cancer and identify those who require urgent assessment by a specialist. A clinical refresh of these guidance is underway to help ensure the right person is on the right pathway at the right time and includes updated guidance for colorectal and Upper GI cancers.

The Scottish Government has engaged with individual landlords and representative bodies and more information can be found in the Housing Policy Memorandum and Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA)

Since introduction of the Bill, the Scottish Government continues to engage with landlords and their representatives.

The Scottish Government does not routinely disclose the content or source of any legal advice it has received on any topic or whether it has received any legal advice.

The first year of muirburn licencing will be a transitional year, which will require only online knowledge-based training. This prevents any delays as a result of access to training.

Requiring the knowledge-based online training will help enforce current standards, clarify where it is appropriate burn and how to do so safely. A grace period would mean that muirburn could be carried out in the 2025 season by people with no training whatsoever. The transitional approach we are proposing means that all practitioners must have completed the knowledge-based element and a large proportion will have completed the practical element also. By the 2026 season all practitioners will have to have completed both elements of the training.

Scottish Government provide a wide range of training to Agricultural Officers to ensure officers have the suitable skills and knowledge to deliver their inspection duties. This training includes structured learning, job shadowing and the provision of detailed written guidance.

This training does not include modules on trauma-informed interviews and working with interpreters.

The Peer Approved Clinical System (PACS) Tier One process is designed to provide an opportunity for clinicians, on a case by case basis for individual patients, to request the use of a licensed ultra-orphan medicine that is not recommended by the Scottish Medicine Consortium (SMC).

The PACS Tier Two process is designed to provide an opportunity for clinicians, on a case by case basis for individual patients, to request the use of a licensed medicine (other than an ultra-orphan medicine) that:

• is a medicine for an indication that has been considered and not recommended by the SMC for routine use in NHS Scotland; or
• is a medicine accepted for restricted use by the SMC but the intended use is out with the SMC restrictions; or
• is a medicine which has been submitted to the SMC and is awaiting/undergoing evaluation.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that anyone living with pain is able to access the best possible care and support. Through our commitment to deliver the actions outlined in our Pain Management Service Delivery Framework implementation plan we are seeking to amplify the voices of people who may face inequality on the basis of their sex. We will work collaboratively with other partners to ensure there are appropriate pathways for women with pain and painful conditions.

Women’s Health is a priority for this government which is why Scotland was the first country in the UK to publish a Women’s Health Plan in August 2021.

Women’s health encompasses a wide range of topics and conditions and the areas of focus for the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan are still to be determined.

Timely access to gynaecology services will be a priority, and early discussions indicate pelvic health and optimising future health as potential areas of focus.

We have also started work to bring together an updated evidence base and gather views from women and girls, and from our stakeholders. Future aims and priorities are being developed in collaboration with them and alongside the most up-to-date evidence base.

There is a requirement for Health Boards to maintain accurate and up to date information on PACS Tier Two requests and their outcomes. The Scottish Government does not hold validated data on the number of PACS applications that Health Boards have granted. This information would need to be requested from Health Boards directly.

Health Boards are required to capture and share data as retrospective “in confidence” summary reports with the Scottish Government on a quarterly basis. The data received by Scottish Government are retained for internal management purposes only and are not formally validated.

Notably, the majority of collated PACS Tier Two requests are for fewer than five medicines; and data for numbers fewer than five are deemed to be patient identifiable and cannot be published.