Chamber and committees

We recognise that the physical impact of living with kidney disease can have a significant impact on a person’s mental health and wellbeing. Living with an incurable, long-term condition can be deeply distressing. The Scottish Government’s new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, due for publication shortly, will set out a long-term vision, and a set of outcomes, for the mental health and wellbeing of the population.

One of the key outcomes for the Strategy is to ensure people with mental health conditions, including those with co-existing physical health conditions, experience improved quality and length of life. In order to achieve this, we will work with partners to develop actions that will see improved provision of services, including talking therapies, and support to people with long-term physical health conditions for their mental health and wellbeing.

In addition to this, the National Education Scotland and Scottish Government developed The Matrix: A Guide for Delivering Evidence-based Psychological Therapies in Scotland to support NHS Boards in planning the range, volume and quality of psychological therapies required to meet Scottish Government commitments. The Matrix is due to be refreshed in 2023 but already includes a section specifically on chronic kidney disease and includes a recommendation for talking therapies for those with moderate to severe mental health problems.

The health and welfare of children waiting for paediatric appointment remains a priority for the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on blood tests, nor paediatric phlebotomy appointments. This information will lie with NHS Lothian.

We meet regularly with all Health Boards, including NHS Lothian, to discuss any challenges impacting activity and to provide any necessary support. As part of these discussions we have engaged with the Board on this issue. NHS Lothian are working to increase the number and timeliness of appointments available, while any urgent requests are addressed as a priority.

We continue to work closely with all NHS Boards to maximise capacity and reduce the time people are waiting for appointments and treatment. We have already seen a huge effort by our NHS to clear long waiting times, with the number of new outpatients and inpatient/day-cases seen in the quarter to March 2023 at the highest level since the start of the pandemic.

Scottish Ministers are finalising an agreement with Crown Estate Scotland for a percentage transfer of CES’s previous year's gross revenue to its capital account in 2023-24 and 2024-25. This will be set out in a Ministerial Direction which will be published on the Scottish Government website.

The breakdown of funding across the How to Save a Life campaign costs is as follows:

• social media – £9,989
• bus stops advertising including billboards and print media* - £178,847
• radio – £243,152

*this figure also includes digital displays and print media on buses and trains.

Mental health remains an absolute priority for the Scottish Government, and we are committed to ensuring that everyone who needs support can get access to services that are appropriate to their needs. Through this approach we recognise that long-term conditions, such as kidney disease, can impact a person’s mental wellbeing. We encourage anyone struggling with their mental health and wellbeing to approach their clinical support team in the first instance, who can advise on appropriate support avenues. Information can also be found on the NHS Inform website and other online mental health and wellbeing support services.

We will shortly publish a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The Strategy will set out a long-term vision, and a set of outcomes, for the mental health and wellbeing of the population. We will subsequently publish a Delivery Plan to set out the work we will do over the coming years to make progress towards those outcomes, and set out how we will measure that progress.

This will include consideration on how the Strategy will set ambitions and actions to support people living with long term conditions. One of our key outcomes for the Strategy is to ensure people with mental health conditions, including those with co-existing health conditions, experience improved quality and length of life, free from stigma and discrimination

In order to achieve this, we will work with partners to develop actions that will see improved provision of services and support to people with long-term physical health conditions for their mental health and wellbeing.

In addition to this, the National Education Scotland and Scottish Government developed The Matrix: A Guide for Delivering Evidence-based Psychological Therapies in Scotland to support NHS Boards in planning the range, volume and quality of psychological therapies required to meet Scottish Government commitments. The Matrix is due to be refreshed in 2023 but already includes a section specifically on chronic kidney disease.

The overarching approach of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 is one of safeguarding to ensure that the law and practice for those who require compulsory care and treatment are driven by core principles, particularly minimum restriction in individual liberty with the maximum benefit for the patient.

The 2003 Act has specific provisions for offences which include wilful neglect and ill-treatment. Any report of harm, ill-treatment or neglect by a person in a position of trust in hospital, or elsewhere, should be acted upon and passed to the relevant local authority’s health and social care services, as well as the police if criminality is suspected.

The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 is intended to protect those adults who are unable to safeguard their own interests, who are at risk of harm and, because they are affected by disability, mental disorder, illness or physical or mental infirmity, are more vulnerable to harm than those who are not so affected.

The Code of Practice which accompanies the 2007 Act is clear that coercive control or undue pressure exercised over a vulnerable person may make them unable to make or action decisions that would protect them from harm. The safeguarding provisions of the 2007 Act could be applied in such cases providing they meet all of the 3 point criteria which define an adult at risk.

During the consultation process for the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, I attended the inaugural meeting of the Flytipping Forum, the purpose of which is to enable ongoing engagement between policy makers and stakeholders to support co-ordinated action to tackle flytipping. Membership of the Forum includes Scottish Land and Estates, National Farmers Union Scotland, Woodland Trust Scotland, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Police Scotland as well as local authority representation through a combination of CoSLA, SOLACE and further relevant networks.

I have been carefully considering responses to the consultation, and continue to engage on litter and flytipping issues as part of my engagement with local authorities, third sector organisations, community groups, and industry bodies. The Strategy will soon be published , following on from which the Flytipping Forum will be reconvened to discuss its implementation.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Prison Service.

Scottish Government has recently appointed an external professional advisor to provide guidance on the scope of building condition surveys required for Scottish Government buildings. It anticipates receiving details of the scope within approximately 8-10 weeks, surveys will be instructed immediately thereafter and in line with Scottish Government Procurement guidelines. The time to complete the surveys will be dependent on the scope provided, number of buildings and procurement guidance.

Responsibility for developing the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy sits within the remit of the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity.

The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition has not met with any organisations regarding the consultation on a national Litter and Flytipping Strategy.