Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to improving care for people with chronic kidney disease through a number of activities which are aligned with the recommendations set out in Kidney Research UK’s Changing the Future for Chronic Kidney Disease in Scotland report, published in December 2022 with input from Scottish Government clinical advisors and partners.

We are raising awareness of the symptoms, causes, diagnosis and prevention of kidney disease by providing and promoting information on chronic kidney disease for patients and their families on NHS Inform .

Our Donation and Transplantation Plan was published in 2021 and sets out a dedicated priority to increase living donation and reduce the wait for a kidney transplant. This includes a number of recommendations to improve care, including developing resources and information to promote living donation , changing clinical practice in renal units, increasing direct engagement with patients and their families, and developing new guidance on staffing to support living donation.

We also continue to support the work of the Scottish Renal Registry which promotes excellence in renal care in Scotland including audits on the delivery of renal replacement therapy. The most recent report from the registry was published by Public Health Scotland in October 2022 and provides vital information for Health Boards, service managers and individual clinicians to improve care and standards for people with chronic kidney disease.

We recognise the importance of early detection of kidney disease in preventing the progression of chronic kidney disease and its associated complications. We expect NHS Boards to adhere to current guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment options from authoritative sources such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the UK Kidney Association (UKKA).

In Scotland we are at the forefront of using service and performance data to improve care and diagnosis of kidney disease. This includes the work of the Scottish Renal Registry which reports on patients receiving renal replacement therapy and promoting excellence in renal care in Scotland through best practice audits.

The National Cancer Quality Steering Group (NCQSG) has responsibility for the development and oversight of tumour specific national quality performance indicators (QPIs) to measure the quality of care for patients, this includes a set specifically for renal cancers.

We have also invested in research which is intended to inform new approaches for earlier diagnosis of kidney disease through the Scottish Chief Scientist Office: Kidney function and cancer risk: An analysis using creatinine and cystatin C in a cohort study (nih.gov) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8413238/ .

The purpose of the desktop review was to assess which properties should be investigated for the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). NHS Scotland Assure is preparing a paper on options to proceed with discovery surveys to assess which NHS Scotland properties contain RAAC. Completion of the discovery surveys will provide an accurate assessment of how many, and which, properties contain RAAC.

Official launch of the Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCoE) physical location was on 15th December 2022. The CCoE is based in Abertay University cyberQuarter.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18810 on 20 June 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 Scottish Government is greatly concerned about any adverse impact on students resulting from industrial action, and fully expects universities to put in place appropriate mitigations to minimise disruption to studies. As autonomous bodies, universities are responsible for their own academic and assessment regulations and policies.

During this period of industrial action, while the nature and scale of any impact will vary between and within institutions, the Scottish Funding Council has been working closely with the Quality Assurance Agency, Universities Scotland and institutions across the sector to monitor mitigation arrangements, prioritise the integrity of academic standards and manage the impact on the student learning experience, including any implications for completion of studies and awarding of degrees.

We are following the Scottish Approach to Service Design. All our work will be person-centred and we will be working closely with those who will use the record – including those in receipt of care and frontline staff – to understand what is important for the integrated social care and health record.

We have also largely concluded technical research to understand what digital approaches, services and products have enabled similar services outside of Scotland and what lessons can be learned from both successful and unsuccessful digital projects and programmes We have also reviewed the technology, service and digital architectural landscape across the public, private and third sector organisations who are involved in the delivery of social care services in Scotland to understand how best to implement an integrated record.

Applications closed on the 15 January with 72 applications in total received. Following a rigorous panel selection 48 applicants were successful in obtaining a place on the programme. The MSc programme launched in March and is constructed to provide the 48 participants with the opportunity to achieve Certificate, Diploma, or Masters level accreditation as they progress. Programme participants represent 31 organisations across the health and care sector. The first module, 'Fundamentals of Leading Digital Transformation' commenced in April.

We are further modernising and expanding our Connect Me service to all primary care settings for management of hypertension. Over 70,000 people have now been supported through Connect Me to manage their blood pressure from home in Scotland with improved outcomes. It is estimated to have prevented more than 170,000 unnecessary appointments. We expect Connect Me for hypertension management to be operational in every Health Board in Scotland by the Autumn.

Digital skills resources for healthcare staff can be accessed on the dedicated Digital health & Care Section of the Turas Learning Platform: https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/2198 .