Chamber and committees

As part of the NHS Scotland response to coronavirus (COVID-19), an Innovation Workstream has been created to manage the evaluation of antibody and swab (PCR) tests. This workstream is led by NHS NSS and clinical scientists from NHS Health Boards, and is designed to take advantage of rapid innovations within testing, while at the same time avoiding duplication of effort between Health Boards.

As part of this workstream, antibody tests being used within Scotland are validated by NHS Scotland. The evaluation reports for the antibody assays which have currently been validated and are in use are publicly available, and can be found on NHS Scotland’s Health Innovation Assessment Portal . These evaluation reports show the high sensitivity and specificity of antibody tests approved for use within Scotland.

Scotland is also part of the UK National Testing Programme, participating in UK-wide antibody studies such as the Post Positive PCR Antibody Testing Initiative, where antibody tests have been validated by the UK Government. These validation reports are publicly available, and can be found on the UK Government website .

Yes.

We are still in the early stages of development in relation to the Carbon Neutral Islands project, and are engaging relevant stakeholders to ensure that the voices of islanders are fully heard. It is therefore too soon to determine how much funding will be needed.

A public consultation on the draft Framework for Chronic Pain Service Delivery is expected to begin this Autumn. We are grateful for the input provided to date by people with lived experience, clinical, third-sector and other stakeholders in helping us to shape this draft and welcome further feedback as part of the public consultation in order to help us improve services and support for people with chronic pain in Scotland.

By developing Carbon Neutral Islands that attract jobs and investment, the project aims to retain and bring more people to Scottish islands. It will be informed by the development of the Islands Bond policy and align with Strategic Objective One of the National Islands Plan which states that we will address population decline and ensure a healthy, balanced population profile.

In May 2021, we allocated £16.4 million to support NHS Boards to implement the National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Service Specification. In addition, on 14 September, we announced £10.83 million funding to further support the implementation. Through this funding, NHS Boards have started to recruit additional staff to implement the Specification and to build professional capacity to support children and young people with neurodevelopmental support needs.

The Scottish Government is not responsible for the recruitment of NHS staff. It is NHS Boards’ responsibility to recruit workforce. The Scottish Government has provided guidance to NHS Boards, through the National CAMHS Service and Neurodevelopmental Specifications, on the appropriate roles and professionals expected to be employed within Boards.

We are still in the early stages of development in relation to the Carbon Neutral Islands project, and are engaging relevant stakeholders to ensure that the voices of islanders are fully heard. It is therefore too soon to determine how much funding will be allocated.

The Scottish Government welcomes the report on Non-Communicable Disease Prevention published on 6 September and recognises that its recommendations are in line with the Government’s own approach, based on the World Health Organisation strategies of reducing Affordability, Availability and Attractiveness of alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy foods.

We are committed to supporting individuals and local communities by delivering measures to target harmful health behaviours early and provide access to holistic and person-centred treatment when needed.

The Scottish Government are making paper copies of the consultation paper available on request. We have a dedicated mailbox: [email protected] for any individual/organisation who wants a copy posted to them. We also have a dedicated telephone number for people without digital access to call to request a paper copy. The National Care Service Consultation automated telephone number is 0300 244 2425.

The Scottish Government does not collect statistics on private or fee-paying schools, including on the destinations of their leavers. Scottish Government statistical collections focus on publicly funded and Grant Aided schools for which it provides funding.

In the National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan, we set out our approach to measuring the poverty related attainment gap with 11 key measures identified to assess progress. We have plans to formally review the 11 NIF measures with partners to ensure they are comprehensive, as we recognise that national data needs to provide an accurate understanding of the wide range of learners’ achievement. Local authorities and school leaders are also able to use local knowledge and data to ensure support is targeted towards the children and young people who require it most.