Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is not aware of any workforce shortages in community optometry. NHS Scotland commissioned and published a National Ophthalmic Workforce Review report in May 2023 which is available at: https://www.nhscfsd.co.uk/media/pjwntap4/national-ophthalmic-workforce-review-may-2023.pdf

The Scottish Government is working with Higher Education Institutions to deliver a new UK-leading Master's optometry undergraduate degree. This will support all optometry graduates from 2029 to have the opportunity to qualify with Independent Prescribing.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many GP practices in rural areas have closed in each of the last five years. NHS Boards are responsible for managing their contracts with GP practices and determining, with Health & Social Care Partnerships, whether to replace any practices that have closed.

The Scottish Government has a number of incentives already in place, amongst which is the Scottish Distant Island Allowance (SDIA), an addition to salary which supports staff with the costs of travelling to and from the mainland. NHS staff who work in the majority of Scotland’s islands are eligible to receive SDIA.

There is also the Scottish Government funded ‘Golden Hello’ scheme, administered by NHS Scotland Boards, which provides up to £10,000 to every GP taking up an eligible post in a rural area.

To attract dentists to rural areas we have made available a range of grants and allowances including the recruitment and retention allowance, which allows new trainee dentists practicing in eligible areas, to qualify for a ‘Golden Hello’ payment of up to £37,500 in the first three years of practice.

Furthermore, to support GPs to develop the skills required to work in rural areas, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) offers the Rural GP Fellowship. The fellowship provides qualified GPs with direct experience of working in rural and island areas across rural and island Health Boards, with the fellowship lasting a full year.

ScotGEM offers a unique four-year programme tailored to meet the current and future needs of NHS Scotland with a focus on rural medicine, healthcare improvement and developing interest in General Practice. ScotGEM students are eligible to apply for and receive a ‘Return of Service’ bursary of £4,000 per annum which commits them to working for NHS Scotland for the corresponding number of years following graduation. In addition to the return of service bursary, the Scottish Government pays the tuition fees for eligible students, offering an attractive package for potential applicants.

In addition to the Scottish Government funded incentives, staff being recruited to posts in rural and island areas may also be eligible for relocation expenses, the decision to offer relocation expenses lies solely with boards.

Health boards are expected to offer vaccination in a way that best suits the needs of their communities, using a patient-centred approach, as set out in Public Health Scotland’s (PHS) 5-year Vaccination and Immunisation Framework and Delivery Plan.

This plan states that boards should “ensure availability of a range of flexible, responsive, and good-quality immunisation services that meet the needs of all communities, including our rural and island communities”.

The Scottish Government continues to fund Scottish Ambulance Service mobile vaccination units. These are available to every Health Board to deliver across all vaccination programmes and are to be used to reach under-served communities, including those in rural areas.

Boards also offer flu and COVID-19 vaccinations to housebound patients at home on request. Details on how to arrange this are included in the vaccination appointment letter.

Lastly, there is the option for rural health boards to explore the use of Community Treatment and Care services to support vaccination programmes in rural communities.

Whilst Firearms fees is a reserved matter, the Scottish Government is supportive of this recent increase in contributing towards full cost recovery for Firearms Licensing in Scotland. Police Scotland and stakeholders representing Scottish certificate holders were engaged in the 2022 consultation on the Firearms Fee review.

This is the first increase in Firearms Licensing Fees since 2015 and although these increases will cost those in rural communities more than urban areas due to the nature of rural life in Scotland, the impact on the rural economy is still uncertain. I understand the UK Government have committed to reviewing the licensing fees annually with comprehensive reviews every 3 years. These reviews will involve the Fees Working Group which consists of key stakeholders such as Police Scotland and shooting organisations representing Scottish interests.

I would suggest if people or organisations have concerns, these should be raised at the UKG Fees Working Group, to ensure the voices of all those affected are heard.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33527 on 27 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 requested information on how many vacancies for (a) GP's there currently are in rural areas is not centrally held. However this information is available by health board and can be found on the following link:

General Practice Workforce Survey 2024 | Turas Data Intelligence

The requested information on how many vacancies for (b) nurses and (c) allied health professionals there currently are in rural areas is not centrally held. However this information is available by health board and can be found on the following link: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence

The list of successful applicants for Year 3 of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults was published in November 2024. This provides details of the local authority where the organisation is based, the name of the project and the amount of funding awarded by the local This Sector Interface.

The list of successful applicants can be found within the following link.

Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults Projects awarded funding Year 3 - 2023/2024

Year 4 of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults opened for applications on or before 30 September 2024 and is well under way. Third Sector Interfaces will submit their End of Year reports in Spring 2025. A full list of the successful applicants will be published thereafter.

Policy development was taken forward to determine which courses were available. It was concluded that, due to a number of factors, that it would not be taken further, not least due to the inhibitions of the current devolution settlement.

The NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service is helping people to access the Right Care at the Right Place. It removes the need for unnecessary visits to GPs, Out of Hour services or Emergency Department for everyday self-limiting conditions.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) has reported that that in financial year 2023-24 alone, over 4.7 million Pharmacy First Scotland consultations were undertaken with 95% providing advice on self-care or treatment at the point of contact. PHS also reported that in 2023/24, 32% percent of the Scottish population (1,747,654 people) accessed Pharmacy First Scotland services at least once. PHS reports provide analysis of data at a national level, further aggregation by local area may be available online.

With Patient Group Directions (PGDs) in place for common clinical conditions such as shingles, urinary tract infections, skin conditions, impetigo and hay fever – patients can get prescription treatment without the need for an appointment at their GP practice. In 2023-24, Pharmacy First Scotland consultations using PGDs accounted for 3.8% of the total consultations (181,174) with 84% (154,809) resulting in treatment being provided by the community pharmacist.