Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is facing the most difficult financial situation since devolution. I therefore wrote to the hospice sector on 17 August 2023 to let them know that, unfortunately, their request for funding of £15.5 million is currently unaffordable. However, the Scottish Government will continue to consider how best we can support independent hospices and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs), which are responsible for planning and commissioning palliative and end of life care, including hospices, in their areas.

Criminal Proceedings in Scotland: 2021-22 statistical bulletin will be published on 24 October 2023.

The dates of all Scottish Government Official and National Statistics publications are pre-announced, and the up to date list of future publications can be found at Official statistics: forthcoming publications - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Private Healthcare Information Network figures for the first quarter of 2023 show Scotland has a lower rate of take up of private healthcare compared to England and Wales. The rate of people self-funding for private inpatient/day-case care is 16% higher in England, 51% higher in Wales and 40% higher Northern Ireland than in Scotland. When people who fund private healthcare through insurance is included, the rate per head in England is 76% higher than Scotland. In Wales it is 15% higher and in Northern Ireland 31% higher than in Scotland.

Scotland has a world-class National Health Service we can all be proud of but people have the choice to pay privately for care if they choose. It is important that all healthcare is safe, effective and person-centred and Healthcare Improvement Scotland have stringent regulation of private healthcare, including private hospitals, to ensure that’s the case.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-21286 on 13 September 2023. 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 response to question S6W-21286, answered on 13 September 2023, notes that as a result of the devolved settlement and the Scottish Government’s powers, along with the interaction with reserved tax and benefits, it is not possible to deliver the Parental Transition Fund as originally envisaged.

As set out in the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, the current financial situation facing the Scottish Government is amongst the most challenging since devolution. Tough and decisive action must be taken to ensure the sustainability of public finance, whilst also strengthening the immediate support available for households impacted by the cost of living crisis. On this basis, the £5 million made available for the Parental Transition Fund in 2023-24 has been reallocated to help meet the previously announced increased investment in the Fuel Insecurity Fund to address the need for immediate help with fuel costs and to support the Scottish Government’s path to balance.

The launch of our National Mission on Drugs in January 2021 has meant that some of the commitments set out in the Rights, Respect, Recovery Strategy and the action plan for it, refreshed in December 2020, are being delivered in a different way. Many of the milestones are being delivered through the National Mission and others are being picked up as part of more recent Government commitments.

Assertive outreach is being delivered though the guidance for Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standard 3. The aim of MAT standard 3 is to proactively identify people, including through assertive outreach, who are at high risk, and to prevent harms by rapidly providing that individual with appropriate support.

In practice, implementation of MAT standard 3 extends to all substance misuse problems. A significant proportion of support offered to people identified through outreach is for problem alcohol use. Alcohol-specific outreach guidance will feature in wider standards for alcohol and drug treatment following the publication of UK-wide alcohol treatment guidelines.

The launch of our National Mission in January 2021 has meant that some of the commitments set out in the Rights, Respect, Recovery Strategy and the action plan for it, refreshed in December 2020, are being delivered in a different way. Many of the action plan milestones are being delivered through the National Mission and others are being picked up as part of more recent Government commitments.

We recognise the damaging impact alcohol misuse can have and we are working to ensure that people with problematic alcohol use can access treatment that is suitable for them at the time they need it.

On 7 September 2023 the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol supported a Member’s Debate Motion calling for investment in alcohol services - outlining the Government’s plan to reduce harm from alcohol misuse. The plan includes measures to improve access to treatment and support, including through stabilisation and crisis management, expansion in local assertive outreach services and increasing the availability of residential rehabilitation placements. The plan also includes working with partners and stakeholders to implement alcohol treatment standards – building on the forthcoming UK-wide Clinical Alcohol Treatment Guidelines.

The launch of our National Mission on Drugs in January 2021 has meant that some of the commitments set out in the Rights, Respect, Recovery Strategy and the action plan for it, refreshed in December 2020, are being delivered in a different way. Many of the milestones are being delivered through the National Mission and others are being picked up as part of more recent Government commitments.

As part of the National Mission, Public Health Scotland established the Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) system. The first published report was issued on 11 October 2022 and that has been followed by quarterly publications. It reports on drug-related indicators in order to inform action to prevent drug harms and deaths.

The National Development Project Fund (NDPF) forms part of Scottish Government's investment in services to reduce problem drugs and alcohol use and reflects the priorities of the Rights, Respect and Recovery strategy. In January 2019, Ten projects were awarded NDPF funding to address gaps in advocacy, family inclusive services, and start-up investment for new approaches to recovery.

In October 2019, the Scottish Government commissioned Iconic Consulting to evaluate the NDPF.

In March 2021, the Scottish Government published an evaluation ( National Development Project Fund (NDPF) - evaluation: final report ) of those projects which were supported through the NDPF. Of the ten projects evaluated, six were Advocacy based.

The Local Authority Digital Office is a collaboration of Scottish local authorities, and independent of the Scottish Government. They are currently assisting the Student Placement Management Group in the planning for a replacement student teacher placement system.