Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03618 on 8 November 2021. 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 have been clear and consistent that whilst we strongly encourage those eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccination to do so, the decision is one of personal choice, and we have no current plans to introduce mandatory vaccination, or to impose any penalties relating to this. It is for each employer to consider their own specific circumstances and make sure their approach is consistent with their own existing obligations and relevant legislation.

We will continue to work together and engage with care home providers, staff and health boards across Scotland, to further encourage acceptance of the coronavirus vaccine to protect staff and residents.

While the Scottish Government strongly encourage care home staff to take up the vaccine, we have no plans to make vaccination mandatory for social care staff.

Whilst we strongly encourage those eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccination to do so, the decision is one of personal choice, and we have no current plans to introduce mandatory vaccination, or to impose any penalties relating to this.

Employers should be aware that care home staff working in Scotland are not mandated to receive the vaccine. Each employer will need to consider their own specific circumstances and make sure their approach is consistent with their own existing obligations and relevant legislation.

Public Health Scotland have confirmed that a hot debrief is guidance and not mandatory. The Incident Management Team therefore did not completed a hot debrief relating to the COVID-19 outbreak at the Nike Conference. Public Health Scotland have, however, published the Incident Management Team Report relating to this event. Learning around Covid-19 is a continuous process and findings such as this report inform the wider response to the pandemic in Scotland.

The seasonal flu vaccination programme started on 6 September and will run until March 2022. This year it is the biggest ever flu vaccination programme in Scotland reaching over 4 million people. So far, to the end of week 44, Public Health Scotland has reported that a total of 1,451,857 individuals, among different eligible cohorts, have received the influenza vaccine.

Flu vaccinations have started for those over the age of 70 years, and those at the highest clinical risk from flu. Flu vaccinations have also started for pregnant women, preschool children as well as primary and secondary pupils. Adults aged 60 years to 69 years and those aged 16 years plus with underlying health conditions have started receiving vaccination appointment letters. A portal has been launched for adults aged 50 years to 59 years, unpaid carers 16 years plus and adult (16 years plus) household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals allowing those groups to book flu appointments online ahead of flu season.

The initial contract to develop the NHS Scotland Covid Status App was awarded to Netcompany through fair and open procurement at a cost of £600,000. Netcompany is a Danish firm who have developed the Coronapas App for Denmark and the NHS Covid Pass for England and Wales.

The NHS Scotland Covid Status App continues to be developed, with further features and functions added, we will therefore set out the total cost in due course.

The Scottish Government has never received an offer from the UK Government to adapt its app to support our needs. It is appropriate that we design a scheme that is right for Scotland, works in our context, and offers us the flexibility to adapt to our changing circumstances.

Correspondence from MSPs should routinely be answered by Scottish Government Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers. The Health and Social Care portfolio has experienced a huge and unprecedented increase in correspondence over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has impacted particularly on the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport. The pandemic saw a 2700% increase in volume of correspondence for these portfolios and the two portfolios combined currently deal with 49% of all correspondence across the Scottish Government.

To enable MSPs to receive timely responses in these exceptional circumstances, much of the correspondence previously signed by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport is being reviewed on their behalf by Scottish Government Deputy Directors. This arrangement is under continuous review and Ministerial Responses will resume as soon as volume and circumstances allow. The Scottish Government will keep MSPs informed of any further changes to this process.

The Scottish Government aim to respond to all ministerial correspondence within 20 working days. Correspondence from MSPs to Scottish Ministers is routinely answered by a Cabinet Secretary or Minister.

Public Health Scotland's weekly respiratory report indicates that up to week 42 (week ending 24th October 2021) a total of 944,989 individuals, among different eligible cohorts, have received influenza vaccine. This season a combination of data recording systems has been used to generate the influenza vaccine uptake data as part of the Vaccine Transformation Programme (VTP) and the adoption of new systems for the scheduling, booking and recording of influenza vaccination. Thus, the data presented for season 2021-22 are not directly comparable to influenza vaccine uptake in previous seasons.

Although it is not possible to directly compare with previous seasons, the data indicated that the overall influenza vaccine uptake for Scotland in 2020-21 was higher than 2019-20 season in most eligible cohorts; notably for those aged 65 years and over with an overall uptake of 79.7 % compared to 74 % in the 2019-20.