Chamber and committees

Due to the current financial situation the Scottish Government is having to make some difficult budgetary decisions.

As part of this, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) was asked to minimise any discretionary spend where possible. The Scottish contribution to DOCET is held as part of the NES budget and in that context, NES Optometry decided to remove the funding to DOCET as part of the savings exercise.

The Scottish Government provides considerable funding to NES to provide training and education to support the provision of NHS General Ophthalmic Services. NES delivers a programme of on-line and in person events, e-learning modules, Independent prescriber training, peer support groups, as well as teach and treat clinics that provide clinical experience. Funding also supports training for other practice staff including dispensing opticians, with access to resources also available to eyecare professionals working within the hospital eye service too.

In addition to their NES training, optometrists can continue to meet their mandatory continuing professional development requirements via a number of different sources including self-directed learning, The College of Optometrist’s programme of courses, their employer’s events and also by the extensive array of private provider provision.

On a comparative basis, and adjusted for size, even with the removal of DOCET access, the investment in education and training for Optometrists in Scotland remains dramatically better than England.

Scottish Government has no imminent plans to introduce at-home testing for hepatitis C.

Testing for hepatitis C is currently available through a range of routes, with a particular focus on settings which are most likely to be accessed by people at highest risk of infection, such as drugs services and prison healthcare. In addition, anyone who has concerns about exposure to hepatitis C can speak to their GP practice about getting a test, which would allow them to be referred into treatment and services rapidly if required.

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

Officials from CSO met with representatives from MND Scotland on 9th February 2023 to discuss the possibility of co-funding a Clinical Academic Fellowship. Funding arrangements were agreed and a joint call for applications launched on 1 August 2023

Details of the funded fellowship are available on the CSO website

CAF/24/13 - Identifying early theragnostic targets for MND

Ms Kristine Roberts - University of Aberdeen

CAF2413abstract.pdf (scot.nhs.uk)

As the Cabinet Secretary set out to Parliament, Public Health Scotland (PHS) are being commissioned to carry out a review of the evidence for the range of options that are available to the Scottish Government under devolved powers. This important step will ensure that our work is evidence based and will deliver clear public health outcomes.

The final commission will be published in due course, and will set out the timelines for that review activity. The Scottish Government will consider PHS’ findings, and consider where the evidence supports further action or consultation on alcohol marketing restrictions. Once the evidence review is concluded the Scottish Government will consider any areas where evidence supports further consultation. No decisions have been taken yet on what these areas may be.

A refreshed cross-government and cross-sectoral approach to population health - focused on prevention - is being progressed. Increasing healthy life expectancy and reducing health inequalities across Scotland remains a clear ambition for this Government. It is clear the reform of health and care services alone will not be enough to stem the current tide of population health decline in Scotland.

The Population Health Framework is being developed jointly by the Scottish Government & COSLA and in collaboration with Public Health Scotland, Directors of Public Health and key local, regional and national partners. The Framework will consider a broad range of population health drivers, including alcohol harm prevention. The Scottish Government continues to work with partners to identify what actions we, and they, can take to reduce inequalities and to improve the health of people in Scotland over the next decade.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office (CSO) supports open competitive grant and fellowship schemes for applied health research in Scotland across a wide remit that is inclusive of consideration of applications for research relating to motor neuron disease (MND). Applications submitted to these schemes are assessed through independent expert peer-review with funding recommendations made by independent expert committees.

CSO have funded 4 Fellowships in MND in the last 10 years. 2 of these were funded in collaboration with MND Scotland and one was in collaboration with MND Scotland and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The total CSO investment into these 4 fellowships was £672,000.

The Scottish Government remains committed to progressing work on protecting children and young people from exposure to alcohol marketing. It was clear from our earlier public consultation that there was a wide range of views on alcohol marketing proposals, including uncertainty about the existing evidence base for many proposals.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) are being commissioned to carry out a review of the evidence for the range of options that are available to the Scottish Government under devolved powers. This will ensure that our work is evidence based and will deliver clear public health outcomes. We will consider PHS’ findings, and consider where the evidence supports further action or consultation on alcohol marketing restrictions.

If the evidence supports it, the Scottish Government will return with a further consultation on a range of targeted proposals. Ensuring public health policy is based on clear evidence is vital in delivering progress on alcohol harm and ensuring that the right balance is struck between improving population health and the potential impacts and effects on the economy, business and industry.

The Scottish Government continues to take significant steps to tackle alcohol harm as a public health priority.

The National Mission focuses on actions and initiatives to address the harms associated with drugs, but these can and do support people affected by all substances including alcohol. For example, through an increase in residential rehabilitation places; initiatives to tackle the stigma and support the workforce and an increased understanding of the co-occurring nature of problem substance use and mental health issues.

This Government’s work to continue and increase the world leading Minimum Unit Pricing policy is an example of our approach to take concrete action to reduce alcohol harms. It is estimated that our world-leading policy has saved hundreds of lives, likely averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and contributed to tackling health inequalities.

However, we have been clear that Minimum Unit Pricing is not a silver bullet – but one of the ways in which we are tackling alcohol harm including our investment in treatment and work to consider alcohol marketing restrictions.

The Scottish Government remains committed to progressing work on protecting children and young people from exposure to alcohol marketing. Public Health Scotland (PHS) are being commissioned to carry out a review of the evidence for the range of options that are available to the Scottish Government under devolved powers and will bring focused proposals forward should the evidence support it.

The 2023 Scottish Health Survey shows that among those aged 16-24 vape use is 22%.

The Smoking and Vaping Among Scottish Adolescents Key findings - Vaping and smoking among Scottish adolescents - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) (2024) showed that 19% of those aged 11-17 had tried vaping even once. Amongst ever vapers, 75% of young people aged 11-17 stated that they used disposable vapes.

While we do not disaggregate data down to specific kind of vape used, high puff-count vapes are more likely to be single use.

The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 set out that in order for a vape to be considered reusable, it must be both refillable and rechargeable.

High puff-count vapes are typically designed to include a USB charging port to allow for the battery to be recharged. Many of these devices contain an extra 10ml container of e-liquid as well as the standard 2ml already built inside the vape.

However, if they do not allow for the coil to be replaced or for the replacement or refilling of the e-liquid container by the user, they remain single-use in practice.

We will continue to work with Trading Standards to monitor developments in vape design to ensure that the definition is fit for purpose and that manufacturers comply with the ban on single-use vapes.

The following members of the Cabinet have visited a college in the last year:

• John Swinney MSP, First Minister
• Kate Forbes MSP, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic
• Shona Robison MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
• Neil Gray MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
• Jenny Gilruth MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
• Gillian Martin MSP, Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
• Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport
• Mairi Gougeon MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands
• Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs