Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to improving timely access to needs-based support for children and young people, in line with GIRFEC and the National Neurodevelopmental Specification. Access to support should not be dependent on a diagnosis, except in limited circumstances such as the prescribing of ADHD medication.

We are continuing our work with COSLA and the Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Taskforce to deliver on the actions set out in the Review of the Specification for Children and Young People.

In 2025-26 we provided over £2.9 million of funding to support projects to improve access to neurodevelopmental support across Scotland. The 2026/27 Budget includes additional investment of £7.6 million.

It is important to recognise that CAMHS is a specialist service for those experiencing significant mental health issues. Neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism and ADHD, are not mental health conditions. CAMHS is therefore not the correct service for neurodevelopmental diagnostic assessment, unless there is a co-occurring mental health condition that meets CAMHS criteria.

NHS Scotland is required to consider the Scottish Health Technologies Group's(SHTG) recommendations. Discussions are underway to understand how those recommendations can inform sustainable, consistent and effective service delivery across Scotland.

The General Medical Council (GMC), the independent UK statutory regulator for the medical profession, publishes its guidance Good Medical Practice (GMP), which sets the standards for professional practice and how doctors should work with patients.

While the title “consultant” is not a protected title under the Medical Act 1983, GMP is clear that doctors must always be honest and transparent about their experience, qualifications and current role.

Therefore, the Scottish Government has no plans at present to issue separate national guidance on the use of professional titles. NHS Boards are expected to ensure that employment and governance arrangements are consistent with relevant professional and regulatory requirements.

The National CLD Workforce Survey closed at the end of February 2026. The CLD Workforce Survey Report 2025-2026 was published on 30 June 2026 and can be accessed here - CLD Workforce Survey Report 2025-2026.

The CLD Standards Council are leading a range of activity to progress recommendation 5.2 of the Independent Review of CLD to develop a CLD Workforce Plan. This includes establishing a Working Group with representation from across the CLD sector and undertaking a workforce needs survey.

The CLD Standards Council will present recommendations on the requirements of a workforce plan to the CLD Strategic Leadership Group (SLG) when the group reconvenes later in the year. Subject to approval, a workforce plan will be developed and circulated to the SLG for final approval in Autumn 2027, followed by implementation.

Public Services Delivery Scotland are obtaining the requisite clinical, planning, financial and staffing information from NHS Boards to understand what would be required to make 24/7 thrombectomy available across Scotland.

Within the Scottish Government policy responsibility for Health and Care Research sits with the Chief Scientist Office (CSO).

NHS Research Scotland (NRS) is a partnership between the NHS Boards and CSO. NRS works to ensure that the NHS in Scotland provides the best environment to support clinical trials. The Scottish Government provides annual NRS Infrastructure support funding. The 2025-26 figure for this funding was £46.16 million.

The above infrastructure includes the NRS Cancer Research Network that supports the set up and delivery of cancer clinical trials including in brain tumours (Cancer | NHS Research Scotland | NHS Research Scotland) – annual Scottish Government funding to the NRS Cancer Network is in the region of £1 million per annum. The NRS Cancer Network is currently supporting 10 brain tumour studies open to recruitment in the NHS in Scotland – these studies have recruited a total of over 120 patients to date.

CSO co-funds in partnership with Cancer Research UK, the Adult Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC's) in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and a Paediatric ECMC in Glasgow. These form part of a UK-wide ECMC Network that works to support the delivery of early phase cancer studies including in Brain Tumours (Edinburgh adult centre | Experimental cancer medicine centres) and (Glasgow adult centre | Experimental cancer medicine centres) – CSO’s annual contribution is approximately £470K.

The VPAG Commercial Clinical Trials Investment Programme was agreed as part of the 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG). It aims to strengthen the UK’s global competitiveness in life sciences and support innovation led growth. The programme is supported by approximately £400 million of funding from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry members.

The clinical trials component of VPAG is intended to enhance capacity and delivery of commercial clinical research across the UK. Approximately £40 million from this element of the VPAG investment programme is expected to be invested in Scotland over the five year scheme. CSO has worked with NRS to configure this investment to maximise the opportunities for patients to participate in commercial clinical trials.

This includes the setting up of 4 Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDC's) - based in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow - to accelerate and strengthen commercial clinical research delivery. It is anticipated that Cancer trials (including Brain Tumour trials) will represent around 50% of the commercial trial portfolio.

The Scottish Government’s has no current plans to introduce a phased transition requiring all locum consultant psychiatrist posts to be held by doctors on the General Medical Council (GMC) Specialist Register.

The Scottish Government’s role is to provide strategic leadership for NHS Scotland to ensure a sustainable NHS workforce. Operational matters relating to staffing including recruitment to specific specialities such as psychiatry, are the responsibility of individual NHS Boards and will depend on service needs, taking account of national, regional and local priorities.

NHS Boards are required to ensure that suitably qualified and competent staff are available in appropriate numbers to support safe, high-quality care and staff wellbeing, in line with the requirements of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019.

There are already established routes available for experienced doctors, including locums, to obtain specialist registration through the General Medical Council (GMC). NHS Boards should ensure that the staff they employ have access to appropriate training and development opportunities that align with their statutory workforce planning and service delivery responsibilities.

The Centre for Workforce Supply (CWS) hosted by Public Service Delivery Scotland provides national leadership on workforce supply, supporting NHS Boards with recruitment and retention initiatives in support of the mental health and wider workforce across Scotland.

The current transmission charging regime is a significant barrier to investment in Scotland’s renewable energy industry, with key projects such as the West of Orkney Wind Farm having stalled due to the impact of high and volatile charges.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the deployment of FeNO testing in primary care settings in England. However, it continues to consider relevant evidence, guidance and learning from across the UK, including experience from England where appropriate, when considering the implementation of respiratory clinical guidance.

However, the Scottish Government is aware of developments in the use of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) testing across the UK and notes that FeNO testing is recommended within the updated joint British Thoracic Society (BTS), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guideline on the diagnosis, monitoring and management of asthma. The guideline recommends the use of objective testing, including FeNO testing, to support asthma diagnosis and management.