Chamber and committees

We have funded Carers Scotland to run the Carer Positive scheme since it was launched in 2014. Information on the scheme, including Carer Positive employers are published on the Carer Positive website: http://www.carerpositive.org/

As of 16 June there are 194 Carer Positive employers in Scotland covering a total of 437,666 employees. This comprises 149 at the ‘engaged’ level, 27 at the ‘established level’ and 18 at the ‘exemplary level’.

Considerable efforts have been and continue to be made nationally and locally to rapidly increase workforce capacity across social care, including care at home, and healthcare. A national online recruitment portal has been developed to enable those with relevant skills and experience to support social care and healthcare services. As of 8 June there have been over 3,000 expressions of interest for social care roles.

There is already flexibility in the registration system for social services staff to move to another service or start to work in another type of registered service, but more has been done to clarify and implement minimum training requirements and enable redeployment of staff as necessary. The SSSC has developed a minimum training package for social care for redeployment and volunteers, who will play an essential role in the delivery of day-to-day services. Further information can be accessed via the SSSC website: https://www.sssc.uk.com/

We have been supporting care at home providers’ normal supply routes for PPE through additional supplies from national stocks. These arrangements have been in place since March, and are supporting the social care sector with all of its PPE needs where normal supply routes fail, including unpaid carers and Personal Assistants.

An initial £50 million to help the social care sector deal with the financial implications of coronavirus pandemic has been confirmed. The funding will help address immediate challenges faced in the social care sector and support ongoing provision of social care. Health and Social Care Partnerships across Scotland have all put in place mobilisation plans to ensure the health and social care system is as well placed as possible to address this pandemic. This funding is part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to support resilience in social care provision and ensure that any increasing need for social care as a result of the pandemic is met. Guidance on the principles of Social Care sustainability payments can be found here .

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that those living with respiratory conditions can access clinically appropriate, safe and effective person-centred healthcare treatment and support.

The draft Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland, currently out for consultation, contains a set of commitments to drive improvement in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of asthma, COPD, sleep apnoea, bronchiectasis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Although our efforts are currently concentrated on saving lives, we are constantly planning how our NHS can move forward after this crisis has passed. We are keen to capitalise on the gains we have made as we move to prioritise the resumption of health services across NHS Scotland and caring for those who need ongoing help after Covid-19 will be an important part of that.

As we continue to develop our understanding of the impact the virus has had on the health of the people of Scotland, including those that have developed long-term respiratory problems as a result of contracting the virus, the final Respiratory Care Action Plan will play a key role in responding to the implications and consequences for many aspects of respiratory care going forward, including pulmonary rehabilitation.

One of our key priorities is to ensure that children and young people with additional support needs, including those arising from health or disability, who may be finding this difficult time particularly challenging, continue to be supported with their learning, whether at home or at a local hub.

We have published a range of guidance to support schools, local authorities and families during this time. This includes guidance for term 4 that gives an overview of the measures in place and steps being taken, at a national and local level, to support all children and young people’s learning, including those with additional support needs; and guidance to help local authorities, early learning centres and schools continue to support children and young people's learning during the coronavirus outbreak, including advice on the provision of blended learning for children and young people who need support.

Children and young people with additional support needs have been, and will continue to be, provided with bespoke learning activities from their schools and local authorities. Support and advice is also available for their parents and carers though our Parent Club website and from a range of partner organisations.

We are working closely with local authorities and other partners to ensure all children and young people continue to be supported with their learning and that their needs are fully considered as we look, and plan, ahead.

The Health and Safety Executive have published advice on the risk of Legionella in buildings which are closed or running with reduced occupancy during the COVID-19 crisis. This can be found on the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) website at https://rehis.com/story/legionella-risks-during-coronavirus-outbreak

We do not have plans to introduce legislation to create a Commissioner for Older People in Scotland. Our focus continues to be to keep people safe, protect the NHS and save lives, and we are doing that by working with our key partners in the Older People’s Strategic Action Forum. Members of the Forum will also be participating in our new Social Renewal Advisory Board which is focusing on how we will create the change we want through the phases of recovery.

Fairness and human rights will remain at the heart of the Scottish Government’s approach as we work to keep older people safe, cared for and connected, with access to the essentials they need. This has been demonstrated by funding of around £1.7 million to organisations who are directly supporting the needs of older people during the Covid pandemic, including funding for helplines, food distribution and keeping people connected.

Additionally, the work of the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership is key to Scotland becoming a world leader on human rights.

The Taskforce will develop proposals for human rights legislation and we will seek to ensure the work of the Taskforce informs our human rights work in the context of COVID-19 recovery. The priority work for the Taskforce will be a statutory human rights framework that gives effect to internationally-recognised human rights in domestic law.

Like every member of society, older people are entitled to all of the rights set out in international human rights treaties which apply to Scotland.

We welcome research on the impact that the current pandemic could have on mental health, both now and in the future. Which is why we are asking the Mental Health Research Advisory Group (RAG) to focus on this task and working closely with Public Health Scotland. This will inform our ongoing response.

The web resource Aye Feel was launched on the 18 May, and is a universal offer, available to all children and young people, and connects general population level information and links to practical support. There are appropriate links and signposting for young people who may be experiencing mental ill health or distress, to ensure young people can access the right support for their circumstances, this includes advice and information about loneliness.

The Scottish Government is aware of the report by the Care Quality Commission in England.

The measures Ministers and services have taken in Scotland will help avoid the situation which the report suggests may have happened in England. On 16 April, the Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and Sport and Interim Chief Medical Officer wrote to all services stating that alcohol and drug services, including opiate Substitution Treatment (OST) remained urgent and were not to be de-prioritised during the pandemic. Subsequently, on 11 May, the Minister and Chief Pharmaceutical Officer issued a joint letter to Directors of Pharmacy across Scotland asking they ensure that essential pharmacy services are maintained and supportive of vulnerable groups, including those who use drugs.

Throughout the pandemic our Drug Death Taskforce, alongside Public Health Scotland, Police Scotland and other stakeholders, have been closely monitoring information about potential rises in drug related deaths. To date, information from Police Scotland does not suggest similar issues have arisen here.

National Records Scotland (NRS) are responsible for publishing the Scottish drug death statistics on an annual basis. The last publication made by NRS was in July 2019.

We are currently awaiting details from them with regards to the date of publication for the 2019-2020 drug death statistics, which will include information on the number of recorded drug-related deaths during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Clinical and care staff across health and social care teams in Scotland have been providing care, support and treatment to people recovering from Covid-19 in line with the principles of psychological first aid, which include education about responses to trauma, provision of information on coping, and care for immediate needs. When clinically indicated, appropriate access will be provided to the range of evidence based support and care, including specialist psychological support.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to developing a trauma informed and trauma responsive workforce across Scotland that can minimise distress, overcome barriers and build trust. Since 2018, we have invested over £1.5 million in a National Trauma Training Programme to support all sectors of the workforce in trauma informed practice, as well as to embed and sustain this model of working.

The Scottish Government is investing a total of £6 million of additional funding to support the population’s mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This includes £3.8 million to increase the capacity of NHS 24’s telephone and online services, and to extend the availability of digital therapies, and £1 million to roll out the Distress Brief Intervention Programme on a national basis.