Chamber and committees

The commitment in the Stroke Improvement Plan to publish a plan for further development of the national thrombectomy service in the second half of 2023 was published in December 2023, available at: Thrombectomy Service Update and Expansion Outline

It should be noted that, since publication, the National Thrombectomy Programme Board has, on the advice of NHS National Services Division, moved away from an options appraisal approach in favour of maximising access to thrombectomy and a stepwise approach to service expansion.

To date, significant work has been undertaken to develop robust criteria for a national AI solution to assist with identifying patients who may benefit from a thrombectomy.

A tendering process has commenced and the suitability and affordability of AI solutions will determine whether Scottish Government proceeds with procurement.

Within the Scottish Government, funding for Health and Care Research comes under the policy remit of the Chief Scientist Office (CSO)

CSO directly funds research through its research project and fellowship schemes. These are open to applications from across the clinical spectrum. All applications go through the same independent expert review process to enable funding decisions to be made

For multi-year projects and fellowships, the funding figure is allocated to the year corresponding to the start date and is the total amount committed to the project or fellowship

The 4 categories listed have been interpreted as follows:

Dementia - category including Alzheimer's; Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia; Lewy Body Dementia

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33241 on 24 January 2025. 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 Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) is designed to support the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care in Scotland, regardless of diagnosis.

The YPFF is a demand-led fund and the Scottish Government has ensured full funding against demand in each year since its launch on 26 July 2021. The 2025-26 budget has been set based on expected demand levels and the Scottish Government remains committed to provide full funding for the YPFF in 2025-26.

Other financial support is available to children and young people with a cancer diagnosis and their families for travel to hospital via the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under those schemes, patients and authorised escorts can reclaim reasonable costs of travel associated with attending a hospital appointment, in line with eligibility criteria and medical requirements.

The draft budget published on 4 December 2024 includes new investment of £4.5 million to deliver new specialist support across the country for long COVID, ME, Chronic Fatigue, and other similar conditions.

The delivery of the Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland 2021- 2026 continues to be taken forwards by the Managed Service Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MSN CYPC) into 2026.

The progression of actions in the strategy are regularly reviewed by MSN CYPC and will inform any future national strategy approach required to ensure that children and young people with cancer will have access to the best possible treatment and care.

Health Boards are expected to support patients and their families in identifying and accessing available support. Financial support for travel is available for patients and authorised escorts, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements, through schemes such as the Patient Travel Expenses Scheme (PTES) and the Highlands and Islands Travel Scheme (HITS).

Scottish Government has funded Young Lives Vs Cancer to provide practical advice and emotional and financial support to young people diagnosed with cancer and their families. This includes advice on potential welfare benefits as well as direct grants.

Further to this, we are working in partnership with Macmillan to improve the service we offer patients with cancer through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme (TCC). This partnership with Macmillan is worth £27 million and is the first of its kind in the UK. The programme ensures that every patient with cancer in Scotland has access to a specialist key support worker, who can provide emotional, financial, and practical support.

The Managed Service Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MSN CYPC) are currently working with Young Lives vs. Cancer (YLvC) to take forward learning from the NHS England and Picker Institute U16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey, to see if this can be developed for children and young people with cancer in Scotland.

Additionally, the MSN CYPC provides a range of patient experience support services such as the Youth Advisory Forum which provides children and young people with cancer with the opportunity to share experiences with each other as well as identifying gaps and improve the quality of services by providing feedback. The Parent, Carer and Families Forum, also facilitated by MSN CYPC, gives a voice to the youngest children with cancer, and their support networks which enables their views to also be captured.

The dedicated Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland 2021- 2026 was published in 2021. This strategy emphasises the Scottish Government’s commitment to improving the distinct care and support services required for children and young people with cancer. Scotland is the only UK-nation to have in place a cancer strategy dedicated to children and young people with cancer.

Our draft Budget 2025-2026 includes a record £21 billion investment in health and social care services, including for services for children and young people with cancer.