Chamber and committees

Brave@Heart nominations which include the St. Andrew’s Award can be made posthumously for consideration by the independent validation panel.

The National Trauma Training Programme (NTTP) consists of a range of training resources, including a framework which details the knowledge and skills required at each of the four practice levels. This Framework was created in part to enable organisations to deliver their own training or identify suitable training providers. As such, there will be a wide range of NTTP-aligned training that has been delivered to many members of the workforce that we do not hold central information about.

Training delivered by NES (NHS Education for Scotland) central team and the Transforming Psychological Trauma Implementation Coordinators (TPTICs) is recorded. Two different processes are used for monitoring and recording information about numbers accessing training, as set out below:

1) Monitoring and recording processes for face-to-face or screen-to-screen training across all four levels (informed, skilled, enhanced and specialist levels)

All information about face-to-face and screen-to-screen training at any level delivered by TPTICs and the central team is recorded by the TPTIC or central team member via an MS form. This includes information about the type and level of training, by whom and where it was delivered, duration, the number of people attending and their area of work. Because of the multi-agency focus of the NTTP, many of the training sessions bring together professionals working across various organisations and agencies. Reporting focuses on broader numbers and areas of work of attendees (whether justice, health, education, etc.), rather than by organisation, and as such does not differentiate between NHS and other public sector workers.

This information is collated centrally, and numbers of staff trained at each of the four levels are reported quarterly for performance tracking purposes.

2) Monitoring and recording of delivery of online training resources across Informed and skilled levels.

Informed (Level 1)

At the Informed level, the use of NTTP animations Opening Doors and Sowing Seeds, and the recorded workshops that accompany them are monitored through the number of views as indicated on the Vimeo platform. The numbers of views of the animations and workshops, and registrations for the workshops notes and tools are measured on a monthly basis.

This information is collated centrally, and numbers of staff accessing each of the informed training resources are reported quarterly for performance tracking purposes.

A key focus of developing the informed, online resources has been on making them easy to access. The animations and recorded workshops are freely available, meaning people accessing them do not need to supply their email address or employer. Likewise, the training resource for the Informed level will have been shown at in-person/online events, and uploaded to/ watched through various platforms, so it is not possible to capture exact numbers and details as to who has accessed this resource and whether they work for the NHS, another public sector organisation or elsewhere.

Skilled (Level 2)

Four modules to support Skilled practice training are provided on NHS Education for Scotland's Turas platform. To access these modules, it is necessary to have a Turas account.

The number of staff completing each of the four skilled workshops is collected from the Turas system on a monthly basis. This information is collated centrally, and numbers of staff completing each of the skilled modules are reported quarterly for performance tracking purposes.

In addition, Turas can provide further information about registered users who have accessed the modules. Two data sources are used by NES to monitor who has a Turas account. First, any individual can register for Turas and upon registration, and they may provide details of their sector, professional role and organisation. Second, richer data is available for the majority of NHS Scotland staff where Turas draws data from workforce information systems – these provide an accurate and up to date information about job role, department and organisation.

Enhanced (Level 3) and Specialist (Level 4)

There are no online training resources at the Enhanced and Specialist level, as this is intensive skills-based training which is delivered face-to-face/screen-to-screen.

The Scottish Government’s ambition, shared with COSLA, is for a trauma-informed and trauma-responsive workforce and services across Scotland. We want anyone who has been affected by trauma in Scotland to be supported by trauma-informed services that are built on safe and trusted relationships, which support recovery and do not cause any further harm or re-traumatisation.

Over £6million has been invested in a National Trauma Training Programme since 2018, including £3.2 million which has been distributed to all local areas to further develop and embed trauma informed approaches. Support for training and implementation, across all sectors of the workforce, is provided by a team of Transforming Psychological Trauma Implementation Co-Ordinators (TPTICs). In 2021, a network of ‘Trauma Champions’ was also established, this includes senior leaders from across local authorities, health boards and key community planning partners who work collaboratively to influence change across local areas. The Trauma Champions network is supported by the Improvement Service.

The Scottish Government do not make any specific assessment about the training of staff in trauma-informed practice before awarding funding to an organisation. Work is currently underway to develop a Quality Improvement Framework, due for publication in Spring 2023, which will further support any organisation to track their own progress in developing and embedding trauma-informed approaches.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) is the health body for the provision of evidence-based advice, guidance and standards for health and care professionals to provide safer, more effective care. HIS carry out their statutory duties according to the Operating Framework which is the primary accountability and governance document between Scottish Government and HIS – you can find the full Operating Framework at https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/previous_resources/policy_and_strategy/sg_his_operating_framework.aspx

The Framework sets out the ongoing relationship between the Scottish Government and HIS, guidance on performance management (including the Annual Review process) and the lines of accountability from HIS to the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and the public.

In addition, HIS are taking a number of steps towards becoming a trauma-informed organisation. For further detail, I refer the member to the answer to question

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) has taken a number of steps to ensure all staff are aware of, informed about and trained in trauma-informed practice and principles. The organisation has:

1. Signed up to the National Trauma Training Programme’s (NTTP) Leadership Pledge of Support, demonstrating their commitment to:

The Scottish Government has not given consideration to a registration service in Scotland as this is an operational matter for Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS). The question relates to functions that are the responsibility of the SCTS of which the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland (OPG) is a part. The SCTS is an independent body corporate and as such it is not directly answerable to the Scottish Government. Instead, it is directly answerable to its board, chaired by the Lord President.

Mr. Burnett has asked a separate question (S6W-13059) relating to the backlog of power of attorney applications at the OPG since September last year and what support is being offered to the OPG by Scottish Government. SCTS has put a dedicated taskforce in place to reduce the time taken to process Power of Attorney applications and work has begun to introduce a new case management system. This question is being answered by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans.

The Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008 aims to minimise the risks to public health at designated locations and during periods when a large number of people bathe. However, it remains the personal responsibility of every individual to assess the risks before entering open water, whether at a designated bathing water within the bathing season or otherwise.

The globally accepted advice is to leave at least 48 hours after heavy rain before bathing whether within or outwith the bathing season. Further general advice on the health risks of open water swimming, which is also applicable to Scotland, is available from the UK Health Security Agency at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swim-healthy-leaflet/swim-healthy .

The Scottish Government continuously works with SEPA, Scottish Water and other stakeholders on bathing water designations and to protect and improve bathing waters classifications. This has led to the number of bathing waters increasing since last year to 87, with 98% achieving the bathing water quality standards and more rated excellent than ever before.

The Enhanced Psychology Practice (EPP) training course was established by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) in 2021, with the first round of training commencing in October of that year. Training numbers so far as follows;

• 14 learners from the Adult EPP Cohort 1 have completed training. 5 learners from Cohort 1 are still to complete due to extensions. Cohort 2 commenced in April 2022, with 22 learners currently in training.
• The Children and Young People (CYP) EPP pilot cohort commenced in April 2022 with 10 learners currently in training.
• Interviews concluded for the November 2022 cohorts of EPP-A and EPP-CYP learners in August. NES has issued offers for 32 places across both programmes.
• When at full capacity, an annual intake of approximately 100 learners will be possible. This will form a rolling programme of recruitment over several intake cycles.

Table 1 presents the estimated gross savings to ratepayers due to the increase in the rateable value threshold for the Higher Property Rate (HPR) to £100,000. This table does not take into account any reliefs, including Transitional Relief. This is broken down by property class, as the Scottish Government does not hold property-level data on industry sectors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property, and does not necessarily accurately reflect the use of a property.

These tables are based on an imputed Valuation Roll based on an incomplete draft Valuation Roll, as used by the Scottish Fiscal Commission in Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts December 2022, and are therefore subject to change.

Figures in this table are rounded to the nearest £1,000.

Table 1: Gross savings to properties removed from HPR in 2023-24 due to the threshold increase, by property class

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of providing compassionate, person-centred support for people who have been bereaved by suicide. This is reflected in the Scottish Government and COSLA’s new suicide prevention strategy and action plan, Creating Hope Together, which published in September. The strategy is supported by the Programme for Government commitment to double funding for suicide prevention to £2.8m per annum by the end of this Parliamentary term.

The new action plan includes a commitment to roll out bereavement support across Scotland, drawing on the evaluation of the current Suicide Bereavement Support Service pilot. The Scottish Government funds this pilot in two Health Board areas; Penumbra leads delivery of the pilot in Ayrshire and Arran and Change Mental Health (formerly Support in Mind Scotland) leads delivery in Highland. The total cost of the pilot service is £255,000 per annum, and this funding, split between the two organisations, has been allocated in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Additionally, we have allocated Cruse Scotland a total of £16,780 for 2021-22 and £33,560 in 2022-23 to provide bereavement support in workplaces which have been affected by the suicide of a colleague.