Chamber and committees

We understand the importance of appropriate staffing to provide high quality care for people with chronic pain. As set out in our National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care published in March 2022, we are committed to supporting the delivery of new training pathways for pain management to enhance and expand our pain-skilled workforce.

In July 2022 we published our Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery – Implementation Plan which sets out the actions we are taking to improve care and support for people with chronic pain, including through developing the pain management workforce. In support of this we have established a new national multi-disciplinary Chronic Pain Education Group which is focused on developing and promoting resources to enhance the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals across Scotland.

In addition, we are working with the Faculty for Pain Medicine to support the development of new credentials to increase the availability of pain management specialists across our NHS. We are also supporting work to develop a credential for Advanced Care Practitioners in pain management which will support GPs, paramedics, Allied Healthcare Professionals and other key roles gain the knowledge and skills to provide holistic, effective support for people with chronic pain in their communities.

The National Clinical Skills for pharmacists programme supports registered pharmacists take on new and extended clinical roles, however it is the Independent Prescriber course which allows community pharmacists to qualify as Independent Prescribers. In 2020-2021 NHS National Education for Scotland (NES) commissioned a total of 115 Independent Prescriber (IP) places for Community Pharmacists to undertake an IP qualification during 2021.

In 2021-2022 NES commissioned a total of 222 IP places for Community Pharmacists to undertake an IP qualification during 2022.

The Pharmacist Independent Prescribing qualification takes on average 12 months to complete and courses run 4 times a year, therefore to date 111 community pharmacists from these cohorts have qualified as an Independent Prescriber.

This is a matter for Public Health Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.

ScotWind is at the very early stages, with Option Agreements setting out a potential development of 27.6GW. We are also awaiting the results of Crown Estate Scotland’s evaluation of the INTOG applications, which could deliver a further 5.7GW of targeted oil and gas decarbonisation projects. The need for future offshore wind planning and leasing rounds will be subject to ongoing evaluation of the current programme and the outcome of supporting assessments, such as the Iterative Plan Review, that take into account the further development of a just transition, new and emerging technology and our net zero commitments.

The Green Heat Finance Taskforce meets on a bi-monthly basis with the last meeting taking place on 2 November 2022. All meeting summaries and action points of the Green Heat Finance Taskforce are published on the Green Heat Finance Taskforce webpage following confirmation of Member's approval at the following meeting. Therefore, the action points of the November meeting will be made available on the website in January 2023.

I have not received any correspondence from the National Farmers Union for Scotland on this matter.

The Scottish Government has undertaken reports on the economic condition of crofting, and the measures to support crofting in Scotland. The latest of these was published on Tuesday 20 December 2022, https://www.gov.scot/publications/economic-condition-crofting-2019-2022/ .

The importance of farming and crofting to our rural and island areas is fully appreciated by the Scottish Government.

I am aware that the NFU have raised an issue in relation to agricultural vehicles and CalMac’s systems. I am more than happy to meet with the NFU to discuss their concerns and to ensure systems are improved to support agricultural traffic when using the CalMac fleet, however I note I am yet to receive any formal representation from the NFU on this matter.

During 2022 and in line with Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, ScotRail undertook a review and consultation of ticket office opening hours. The aim of the review was to establish whether adaptions/changes should be made to reflect changes in travel patterns and ticket purchasing preferences and to reduce ticketless travel.

This work was put on hold until key industrial disputes at ScotRail were resolved. As this has now happened, the Scottish Government is considering the results of the consultation exercise, including any impacts on passenger safety and the needs of passengers with mobility or accessibility needs. The results of this consideration will be announced in due course however it has already been confirmed that there are no proposals for ticket office closures.

A stakeholder group has been established to progress this work, including the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) who each have a key role in social care workforce development.

Last year, we worked collaboratively with SSSC and NES to develop a national induction framework for social care staff. An evaluation of the framework has been launched with the aim of improving and expanding the materials further.

We have also committed to expanding the framework to encompass continuous professional development opportunities, and this work has begun with the stakeholder group. By doing this, we will support our commitment to improving fair work, increasing employee engagement, enhancing skills and capabilities, attracting new talent and contributing to improved employee wellbeing.

The national adult social care recruitment campaign, There’s More to Care Than Caring, ran from 8 November 2021 to 2 January 2022 and included digital, press, out of home and radio advertising, supported by virtual workshops, partnerships and public relations activity.

The campaign was evaluated by an independent research agency and results showed 48 per cent awareness of the campaign amongst the overall target audience, exceeding the campaign target of 40 per cent.

This awareness converted into action with 11 per cent of those who had seen or heard of the campaign saying they had applied for or got a job in adult social care as a result. In addition almost 39,500 visited the Care to Care website during the campaign period.

The campaign this year is due to run from 23 January 2023 to 5 March 2023 and will include out of home, radio and digital advertising, as well as a partnership with STV, supported by field, partnership and public relations activity.

Responsibility for delivering the National Induction Framework for new entrants to social care resides with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and NHS Education Scotland (NES).

As part of Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2021-22, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and NHS Education Scotland (NES) worked in collaboration with Scottish Government and key partners, to develop a national induction framework for new entrants to Adult Social Care. This resource provides tools to help employers and workers identify induction learning needs. It also includes relevant guidance and learning resources that complement workers’ existing skills and the mandatory learning delivered by the employer. It also supports workers moving between employers or undertaking different roles.

The National Induction framework was launched on the 1st of February 2022, and materials are available via the SSSC website: Work is ongoing to further develop materials to ensure the framework offers a robust and supportive induction for all social care staff.

The infection prevention and control component of the national induction framework contains specific links to the Scottish IPC Education Pathway which is aligned to the National IPC Manual for Scotland .

Another resource updated in 2022, following consultation with social care stakeholders, is the NES Preventing Infection in Social Care Settings pocket book. The SSSC is currently working with the Digital Health Institute and other partners, including NES, to develop a mobile friendly IPC practice support app for social care workers based on the IPC pocketbook. The final application will be completed by Spring 2023, with content work already completed and user testing planned prior to launch.