Chamber and committees

Information on the number of full-time equivalent stoma care clinical specialist nurses currently employed by NHS Scotland is not centrally held.

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) data by NHS Board from 2009 to the most recent data published in September 2018, can be found at:

https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/media/4ndpx4za/clinical_nurse_specialists_s2018.xlsx

Given data quality concerns all historical data, whilst published, should be treated with caution. NES will continue to work with the Scottish Government and NHS Boards to ensure improved recording going forward.

A national review into the Clinical Nurse Specialist role and its definition is currently under way. NHS Education for Scotland (NES) will work with NHS Boards to improve the quality of CNS data once this is complete.

Those who experience difficulties carrying out a LFD test can ask someone they trust to assist them with the swabbing and testing process. Walk-in asymptomatic test sites (ATS) can advise people how to use an LFD test. After self-swabbing, the person hands their used swab to a site operative for it to be analysed.

Where a person is part of a workplace testing scheme and is not able to self-swab, if they have capacity to consent, they should be asked if they will allow someone to help them do the test, or to allow someone to do the test for them. Each case should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and if required, the Personal Assistant or family member can consult their GP in case specific care is required to swab the person.

People identified as contacts of a case who are unable or do not have the support to carry out LFD testing can call the National Contact Tracing Centre on 0800 030 8012, for advice.

Regular testing for people without symptoms is voluntary and for some people with additional support needs it may not be appropriate for testing to take place. Those working most closely with individuals with additional support needs, will be best placed to decide whether testing will be appropriate, taking into consideration the needs of the individual.

The requested information is not centrally held. NHS Education for Scotland publishes annual data on joiners/leavers, but this information does not specify start date or professional background of joiners. Information on joiners/leavers by staff group for each financial year can be found on the following link: NHSScotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence

In October 2021, SG officials wrote to those remaining on the COVID-19 temporary registers with advice on how to view and access NHS Board vacancies, encouraging them to consider returning to the service. Prospective candidates were directed to vacancies hosted by individual NHS Boards, who are fully responsible for local recruitment.

Our overall assessment, from the numbers that remained on the registers and feedback from boards, is that a reasonable return rate would have been in the region of 5-10%; or around 200 doctors, nurses and midwives, allied health professionals and pharmacists (headcount) nationally. However, as candidates were directed to NHS Board vacancies, the Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of returners joining as a result of this measure.

A decision was taken, in discussion with Boards, that monitoring the rate of applicants in autumn and winter who had applied from emergency registers would be a burdensome task for already pressured Health Board recruitment teams.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people who require stoma care services are able to receive the best possible care and support wherever possible and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put the patient at the centre of their care.

A range of nurses and support workers with mixed responsibilities can support patients who have stomas across health and social care. There are many nurses within differing units and specialities within NHS Boards and social care, including in the community, who are able to support stoma patients alongside stoma clinical nurse specialists.

A statutory public inquiry has been established to examine the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. The inquiry will undertake scrutiny of the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland as a whole and identify lessons and implications for the future.

Audit Scotland will publish its report on Scotland's financial response to COVID-19 in May 2022. This audit is a review of the public sector’s financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a whole. It will consider the financial management, governance and oversight arrangements in place for public bodies to quickly distribute funding to those that need it.

In addition, the Scottish Government continues to review on an ongoing basis the support provided to the social care sector to ensure that it remains appropriate. This is undertaken on a collaborative basis with partners across the sector to ensure understanding of the impact of decision making on providers and those receiving care.

The Scottish Government does not hold or collate this information.

We know how difficult the pandemic has been for businesses, voluntary organisations and staff in these sectors.

Third sector organisations which operate in hospitality, entertainment, culture and events can apply for support from the £375 million support package to help businesses immediately impacted by measures introduced to control the spread of Omicron, if they meet the eligibility criteria. We have provided details on how £262 million of this funding will be allocated and payments have now started.

Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have benefitted from more than £4.4 billion in support from the Scottish Government. Voluntary organisations could receive support from the Strategic Framework Business Fund which provided £344.8 million to businesses across Scotland, if they met the eligibility criteria.

Since May 2020, the Scottish Government has invested over £48 million in our Connecting Scotland programme, which provides people on low incomes with a device, connection with unlimited data for two years, as well as training and support. Since programme launch 60,000 digitally excluded people in total have been brought online. We are now working to scope out an extension to the programme to reach 300,000 people by the end of this Parliament.

The programme is part of our wider package of support to help everyone in Scotland benefit fully from the advantages of the digital world – from broadband connectivity to digital skills training and support for schools and business.

Each year since 2010-11, and as demonstrated through the Budget publications, the Scottish Government has delivered its commitment to pass on frontline health consequentials to the Health Portfolio. This refers to resource consequentials arising from increases in funding allocated by HM Treasury to the Department of Health and Social Care.

As the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy has made clear in Parliament, there are some areas of required spend where Covid consequentials have fallen short of expectation. In addition, there are some timing differences between spend in England and equivalent spend in Scotland .

In this context, the Scottish Government has taken steps to align funding from the UK Government with actual spending profiles in Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy highlighted in her letter to the convenor of the Finance and Public Administration Committee, Covid 19 Financial support Scottish Government update | Scottish Parliament Website , that the Scottish Government has required to repurpose some health consequentials to specifically support wider public health measures. Further detail will be provided in the Spring Budget Revision.

The Scottish Government is keen to see all health and social care partnerships maximise their potential to recycle and reuse their community equipment, and benefit from the efficiencies and savings this can result in. For example, EquipU, the joint equipment store covering 6 local authorities and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, reported that during 2021 £4.2 million worth of equipment was recycled, with a reuse cost of only £410,000. The service has also reported a 17% increase in recycling to date this Financial Year. Other areas are reporting similar increases and have also increased initiatives, and public communication to ensure the swift return of unwanted equipment to store services.

Scottish Government officials are currently carrying out a review of the Guidance on Providing Community Equipment and Adaptations, with a consultation planned for March 2022.