Chamber and committees

We are supporting NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to improve existing service capacity in both the adult and young people’s services and recruit to their multidisciplinary teams.

All gender identity clinics in Scotland are, however, working hard to reduce waiting times and provide support for those on their waiting lists, including through new clinical delivery approaches based on local need. The Scottish Government is working closely with NHS Boards and plans further investment in 2024-25, to help improve services and reduce gender identity clinic waiting times.

In conjunction with Scottish Government and wider stakeholders, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) are leading the development of a national midwifery career framework, although this is not a formal commissioned piece. The work is being overseen by a steering group, chaired by the Chief Midwifery Officer.

The steering group has already developed a Midwifery Preceptorship Framework to support those starting their career in the midwifery workforce and a Midwifery Development Framework Ecosystem has also been created to underpin the framework activity. A development framework for Level 2-4 Perinatal Healthcare Support Workers is nearing completion with a draft framework for consultation anticipated in April 2024.

In addition, the group will consider career development in Bands 5-9 across the four pillars of practice.

The M8 Woodside Viaduct is a vital element of Scotland’s motorway network, carrying approximately 150,000 vehicles daily. Installation of the temporary propping system, required to enable permanent repairs, will continue through the 2024-25 financial year. It is anticipated that the project will be Transport Scotland’s largest capital-funded transport project in Glasgow during this period.

Other significant Government-led transport projects in Glasgow in 2024-25 include the East Kilbride rail enhancement project (£54.1m for 2024-25), active travel infrastructure projects and investing in Glasgow’s City Region Deal. This response does not consider projects by other authorities e.g. Glasgow City Council.

The Scottish Government is committed to continuing its work on preventing, raising awareness and improving our understanding of Lyme disease and ticks.

The Scottish Government-led Lyme Disease Awareness Raising Group will run the Lyme Disease Awareness Raising Campaign in May 2024 to coincide with National Lyme Disease Awareness Month. During which patients, activists, educators and Government will share information through social media and other platforms to raise awareness of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

In May 2023, the group ran the Lyme Disease Awareness Raising Campaign which saw posters in community pharmacies across Scotland. The campaign was supported by PR activity, organic social media and stakeholder engagement for wider messaging dissemination. In addition to the posters, pharmacies were provided with information cards for customers to take away which included a QR code to link to further information on NHS Inform

A follow up campaign was carried out in summer 2023, with posters provided for display in local libraries, GP surgeries, community and leisure centres to highlight signs and symptoms to people holidaying in Scotland and may have missed the May campaign.

The campaign assets were shared with a variety of stakeholders including Visit Scotland, the Lyme Resource Centre, and Ramblers Scotland. A small-scale evaluation was undertaken in July in relation to engagement and impact of the May campaign.

The Scottish Health Protection Network (SHPN), comprising Public Health Scotland (PHS) and NHS Health Boards, as well as Local Authorities and other agencies with a responsibility for public health, formed a Lyme disease group as a subgroup of the Gastrointestinal Infections and Zoonoses (GIZ) group at the beginning of 2016.

The Scottish Government continue to work closely with PHS and the as well as the SHPN Tick Borne Diseases subgroup which has developed content for an e-learning module to be made accessible through Turas for all health care workers in Scotland which is hoped to be ready this spring. The module covers an overview of ticks and tick borne diseases and focusses on the common presentations of Lyme disease which will allow care workers to diagnosis and treatment for the diseases early.

In addition, the Scottish Government will continue to use its own platforms to highlight the need to be tick aware and to set out the signs and symptoms of possible infection.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26312 on 8 April 2024. 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 .

Auditory Verbal UK is a suitable therapeutic intervention for some young people, and it remains an option that can be pursued by local health boards.

The provision of services including suitable therapeutic intervention remains a matter for local authorities and health boards.

The Scottish Government provides baseline funding to NHS boards. It is for each NHS Board to determine how best to utilise the funding and resources provided by the Scottish Government to meet the needs and priorities of their local populations, and to ensure that the care they provide is safe, effective and person-centred.

As at 25 March 2024, the NHS Inform Lyme Disease page has had 264,020 views since 1 April 2022. An additional page, 'Avoiding bugs and germs outdoors', which also contains information relating to Lyme Disease, has had 8,741 views in the same time.

Additionally, the NHS Inform Tick Bites web page has had 827,956 views since 1 April 2022.

Due to NHS Inform moving to a new analytical site in April 2022, data prior to this date is trend indicative rather than exact amounts.

From 1 January 2017 to 21 March 2022, the Lyme Disease page had 492,814 views, ‘Avoiding bugs and germs outdoors’ had 19,734 views and the Tick Bites page had 54,779 views.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26312 on 8 April 2024. 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 .

Auditory Verbal therapy is one of a number of methods used to provide support for deaf children. NHS Boards and local authorities are responsible for ensuring the services they deliver best meet the needs of their local population.

As such, any decisions around provisions of training for staff in any of the professions described should be made locally following a thorough assessment of needs.