Chamber and committees

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 recognises the workforce and skills implications of delivering across these sectors and is working to ensure the skills system can respond.

The consented onshore wind pipeline presents a significant opportunity for Scotland’s economy, as does the transmission infrastructure needed to unlock the full benefit of the clean, affordable and secure power that Scotland can generate from its own resources.

Delivery of the pipeline and investment by Scotland’s Transmission Owners will support thousands of skilled jobs in construction, engineering and the wider supply chain. The Scottish Government is supporting this through the skills system and working with industry, developers and our skills agencies to ensure that communities across Scotland benefit from these opportunities.

In respect of data centres, we continue to take steps to understand the impact on Scotland’s construction supply chain. This includes working with wider public sector to understand what research may be required to fully account for the current projects in the planning system.

The Scottish Government has also introduced a Scottish Government-led skills planning model, being developed in partnership with stakeholders, to ensure the post school education and skills system becomes more responsive to Scotland’s strategic skills priorities.

Transport Scotland and its Operating Company, Amey, worked collaboratively to develop the most effective approach for delivering these works. Each project must achieve an appropriate balance between safety, efficient delivery, minimising impacts on local communities, and ensuring value for money in the use of public funds. To reduce disruption as far as possible, a range of options was considered before a preferred approach was identified. This involved maintaining access across the bridge throughout the works by keeping one lane open during daytime hours and limiting full closures to overnight periods only. Where overnight closures are necessary, a Standard Incident Diversion Route is implemented. This route is assessed and agreed by Police Scotland, Moray Council, and Amey. It is important to recognise that both the traffic management arrangements and the works themselves operate within a dynamic environment that can change on a daily basis. While no traffic management solution can completely eliminate delays, Amey will continue to monitor traffic conditions closely and make adjustments to temporary signal timings where appropriate. The aim is to achieve the best possible balance between traffic flow and project delivery, minimising impacts on all stakeholders while ensuring the works are carried out safely and efficiently.

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.

Official statistics on the current vacancy rate for consultant psychiatry posts across NHS Scotland can be found on the TURAS data intelligence website.

While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for NHS Scotland, workforce planning and recruitment are, in the first instance, the responsibility of individual NHS Boards. Boards are expected to plan and deliver safe, effective and high-quality care in line with their statutory workforce planning and service delivery responsibilities.

We recognise the ongoing recruitment and retention challenges facing psychiatry and remain committed to working closely with the profession, NHS Boards and other partners to support a sustainable psychiatric workforce. The Psychiatry Recruitment and Retention Working Group reported in 2025. Implementation of agreed recommendations is now underway.

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 Scottish Government has not undertaken an analysis of this comparison. However, there is evidence that thrombectomy is a cost-effective procedure with known benefits including a reduction in ongoing care requirements and we remain committed to the delivery of a 24/7 thrombectomy service.

We remain committed to the delivery of a 24/7 thrombectomy service. Public Services Delivery Scotland(PSDS) are obtaining the requisite clinical, planning, financial and staffing information from NHS Boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to understand the requirements to deliver 24/7 thrombectomy availability across Scotland.

Individuals who are considered ordinarily resident in Scotland at the start of their course, and meet the relevant eligibility criteria, will be able to access the home tuition fee rate and student support to study courses of further and higher education.

There is no specific provision in place as part of the eligibility criteria for individuals coming to Scotland to work, and who require additional qualifications to meet national occupational standards.

Students who are ordinarily resident in other areas of the UK should apply to their relevant funding body for student support.

The Scottish Government works closely with the National Institute for Health & Care (NIHR) including buying into the majority of their research funding programmes to allow access for researchers based in Scotland NIHR Programmes – Chief Scientist Office

The Scottish Government will reach out to the relevant team within NIHR to discuss how the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium will be fully implemented here for the benefit of both patients and researchers.