Chamber and committees

The following items were in the national stockpile, but have now been removed due to their expired shelf life:

• FFP3 masks (individual masks) – 509,890
• Hand sanitiser (litres) - 87,912

It is important to note that all of the listed FFP3 masks are from the original pre Covid-19 pandemic stockpile. Healthcare staff who were fitted to these have been migrated to the improved versions of the masks. Additionally, all of the listed masks will be used as part of a new re-cycling programme being undertaken by a Scottish company . Of the hand sanitiser listed, 21,000 litres will be re-worked as part of a recycling program involving a Scottish third sector supplier.

Current guidance is being reviewed in collaboration with the sector, taking into account advice provided by the Covid-19 Advisory Sub-Group on Colleges and Universities. The Scottish Government’s 4 Harms approach ensures that the fullest range of impacts is taken into account in developing measures or guidance in all sectors, including for universities and colleges. Some students will already be receiving full time in-person teaching in line with our advice to prioritise students whose qualifications/progression are at risk. It is also for institutions to determine an appropriate balance between online and in-person teaching where that focuses on the reduction and management of risk and a cautious approach to keep people safe.

Kaftrio ® has been available for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in patients aged 12 years and older since 1 September 2020. This follows a pricing agreement with the manufacturer. There is provision in the access policy and pricing agreement for expanding access to Kaftrio ® as licence extensions are granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The most recent extension in January 2022 allows for Kaftrio ® to be used in children aged 6 to 11 years.

This means that clinicians - working in cystic fibrosis treatment centres - can now prescribe Kaftrio ® for younger patients whom they consider will benefit from its use.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05548 on 31 January 2022. 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 committed to ensuring that all school-aged children and young people in Scotland have access to a digital device by the end of this parliament in 2026.

In September 2021, the Scottish Government set out our approach and 16 commitments to improve care and support for people with long COVID in Scotland. Our approach is to ensure people have access to the support they need for assessment, diagnosis, care and rehabilitation in a setting as close to home as possible. Whilst long COVID clinics are one model NHS Boards may consider, we recognise that no one single approach is likely to fit all areas and circumstances.

It is for each NHS Board to develop and deliver the best models of care appropriate for their local population and that is why our Approach Paper underlines our commitment to making sure our NHS is resourced to respond innovatively to the needs of people with long COVID.

Our £10m Long COVID Support Fund will give NHS Boards additional resource to develop tailored approaches to best meeting the needs of people with long COVID in their local areas. This could include strengthening and improving the co-ordination of existing services, or establishing dedicated services (including ‘long COVID clinics’) if appropriate.

Key recommendations in the Heart Valve Voice report State of the Nation included:

1) collecting standardised data for HVD.

2) focus on HVD in campaigns to raise awareness of disease in women.

3) developing an optimal patient pathway for HVD.

4) improving access to echocardiography.

1) The Heart Disease Action Plan (2021) clearly sets out our priority for the effective use of high-quality, standardised data to support clinical decision-making, understand patient outcomes and enable better service-planning. In April 2021, we commissioned Public Health Scotland to develop the Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme. We have committed more than £1.5m over five years to support this transformative change in access to, and use of, data to drive improvement in cardiac services.

2) We have made clear commitments to tackling the inequalities faced by women with heart disease in our Women’s Health Plan, including the launch of an information campaign on women’s heart health. Future development of work in this area will be informed by the lived experience of women with heart disease.

3) Priority 2 within the Heart Disease Action Plan makes clear our commitment to developing nationally agreed pathways of care for all cardiac conditions. This work is underway.

4) We recognise the importance of improving access to echocardiography and are taking action to address this. Through the Heart Disease Action Plan funding call in 2021, we provided funding for a project exploring how to improve access to echocardiography.

Where it is clinically appropriate to do so, patients of all ages will be examined with a stethoscope to listen for breathing and heart sounds. They may also have ECG electrical recordings of their heart rate, blood tests and have access to other investigations such as echocardiograms, rhythm monitors and blood pressure recordings, should these be required.

The Heart Disease Action Plan (2021) outlines our commitment to exploring innovative models of care for the diagnosis of heart disease, including a focus on improving access to echocardiography in the most appropriate setting for local needs.

The contract with KPMG to construct the business case for the National Care Service has not been suspended.

The 2022-23 draft budget provides £42.2 million to provide universal free school lunches to all children in primaries 4, 5 and special schools to 5 during school term-time. This is in addition to the £53 million per year for universal provision for pupils in primary 1 to 3 which has been in place since 2015. The 2022-23 draft budget includes a £30 million capital allocation for initial investment in school kitchens ahead of roll-out of free lunches to all primary school children (P1-P7) later in the parliamentary term. We will continue to work with our partners in local authorities to plan for the further expansion of free school lunch provision over the next academic year.

The draft budget also provides £21.75 million to provide support to free school meals eligible families during the school holidays.