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The 1,152 reported is the Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) fall in the NHS Scotland Nursing and Midwifery establishment over the six months to 30 June 2024. Care should be taken when comparing workforce data over a six month period as it will be influenced by seasonal patterns. The NHS Scotland Nursing and Midwifery establishment fell by 99 WTE in the year to 30 June 2024.

The Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland. However, operational matters, including staffing, are in the first instance the responsibility of each NHS board. Health Boards will set their establishment depending on the service needs, taking account of national, regional and local priorities, and we expect NHS boards to plan and provide safe, effective and high-quality care, in line with their statutory service provision and workforce planning responsibilities.

The paper shared by the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre at the last Grangemouth Future Industry Board was not specific to the Grangemouth Refinery.

The information requested on how many vacancies there currently are for midwives, broken down by NHS board can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (Vacancy tab).

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to the development of our ports, and the potential for new direct freight and passenger ferry services linking Scotland to Europe.

I have personally engaged with parties interested in introducing new ferry services, and Transport Scotland officials communicate regularly with potential operators and Scotland’s main ports. We have been clear throughout those discussions that UK Subsidy Control rules mean that any new service will be required to be delivered on a commercial basis.

We will continue to engage with port operators and others to explore opportunities for new commercial services, so that Scottish exporters and passengers have more direct routes to Europe. However, this is ultimately a decision for commercial operators.

The Scottish Government provided the following objectives to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland covering financial years 2020-21 to 2024-25:

2024-25

Thrombectomy education

• Continued delivery of Stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) Assessment Training (STAT+) education sessions to NHS boards to incorporate recent changes to thrombectomy services and to ensure all new staff within NHS Boards have the required knowledge and skills in their role.
• Continued offer of delivery of thrombectomy information sessions to staff across the stroke pathway and out with acute services i.e. stroke rehabilitation units, allied health professions, community stroke nurses.
• Continued delivery of virtual Link up and Learn education sessions to healthcare professionals working in stroke across Scotland, ensuring allocated sessions for thrombectomy updates.
• Continued promotion of this programme and the Scottish Government approach to supporting the implementation of thrombectomy services at external engagement events, conferences and training sessions.
• Continued liaison with the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme Coordinator and the Scottish Government on outcomes achieved within Health Boards in relation to Thrombectomy Education to support Stroke Improvement Plan measures.
• In partnership with the Stroke Speciality Advisor to Chief Medical Officer and Stroke Improvement Programme Lead, carry out scoping of Face Arms Speech Time (FAST) education required across clinical staff groups e.g. Scottish Ambulance Service and Emergency D staff, and to implement FAST education to enhance recognition of stroke symptoms

2022-23

Social Isolation and Loneliness (SIAL) Winter funding package

• Translation of materials into Polish, Ukranian, Urdu and Punjabi. Proposed impact: Total 4,500 people reached (1,500 copies distributed and 3,000 impressions on the website.)
• Recruitment of Urdu and Punjabi-speaking volunteers. Impact: Work towards 10 bilingual volunteers recruited with 10 people supported initially. Total of 40 contacts per month (4 contacts per person per month).

Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest bystander aftercare project

• Engagement with Scottish Ambulance Service to agree effective contact mechanism
• Development of bystander support website landing page
• Development and refinement of debrief script
• Initiation of bystander support service
• Mixed methods evaluation

Thrombectomy education

• Redesign of the STAT + service to take into account recent changes in delivery of thrombectomy services to ensure education reflects practice.
• Continued delivery of STAT+ education sessions to Boards to incorporate recent changes to thrombectomy service.
• Offer of thrombectomy information sessions to staff across the stroke pathway and out with acute services i.e. stroke rehabilitation units, allied health professionals, community stroke nurses.
• Offer of delivery of a virtual re-fresher course to NHS boards to incorporate recent changes to thrombectomy service.
• Continued delivery of virtual Link up and Learn education sessions, twice per month, to healthcare professionals working in stroke across Scotland ensuring allocated sessions for thrombectomy updates.

Long Covid

• People with long COVID access support and proactive advice around self-management which promotes recovery, in parallel with wider clinical management and complementing NHS interventions.
• People with long COVID can access or be signposted to relevant sources of support including advice on social security entitlements or debt management.
• People living with long COVID accessing the service report positive outcomes, including reporting a positive experience of accessing the service, feeling listened to, feeling supported to look after their health and wellbeing, feeling supported to do the things that matter to them, and achieving personal outcomes identified as goals at the start of their engagement with the service.

Long Covid

• Integrate the long COVID application developed by Pogo studios in to the system that CHSS uses for clinical records, appointments, calls, collection of data and evaluation provision to service.
• Improve patient experience by reducing time between the acceptance of support and the onboarding of patients into the CHSS system.
• To enable improved reporting methods and data collection.
• Allow for automatic reporting to take place between GPs and the CHSS teams to ensure a shared care approach.
• Simplify data sharing elements.

2021-22

Social Isolation and Loneliness (SIAL) Summer fund

• To tackle Social Isolation and loneliness.

Tailored Talks

• We will collaborate to develop an innovative digital presentation platform which will deliver comprehensive information to patients and carers with a wide range of neurological conditions to support shared decision making, consent and signposting.
• Tailored Talks allows health and social care professionals and people working in third sector organisations to provide information which is tailored to each individual patient’s needs.
• This information can be shared on screen during face-to-face meetings/consultations, on paper (for people without access to digital technology or who are not keen to use it), and also remotely by emailed pdf or via weblinks so that patients and their carers can access the information on their mobile devices, PCs or laptop computers.

Thrombectomy education

• STAT+ and pre-requisites to be added to the National Stroke Education Pathway
• Finalisation of Thrombectomy booklet and compiled into a standardised national booklet for distribution to NHS boards
• The 6 month questionnaire to a named attendee in each session ensuring attendees have sustained and applied the learning will require to be delayed until thrombectomy services are established to ensure data collected is robust
• Extension of thrombectomy education project for 2022-23 to ensure continued delivery of STAT+ education sessions and refresher sessions.
• Consider roll out of STAT+ virtually during national lockdown
• Development of a virtual re-fresher course due to extended period of thrombectomy services roll out.

2020-21

Winter support funding (Covid) including top up

• Kindness Volunteer Programme – tackling social isolation and loneliness through kindness calls

Tailored Talks

• We will collaborate to develop an innovative digital presentation platform which will deliver comprehensive information to patients and carers with a wide range of neurological conditions to support shared decision making, consent and signposting.
• Tailored Talks allows health and social care professionals and people working in third sector organisations to provide information which is tailored to each individual patient’s needs.
• This information can be shared on screen during face-to-face meetings/consultations, on paper (for people without access to digital technology or who are not keen to use it), and also remotely by emailed pdf or via weblinks so that patients and their carers can access the information on their mobile devices, PCs or laptop computers.

Long Covid

• As a result of Covid-19, to support vulnerable individuals and those in need, to help communities respond to the needs and challenges they are experiencing, and protect the wellbeing of the people of Scotland.

Supporting the NHS in dealing with COVID-19

• The funding will allow Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland to develop its hospital discharge and community services for people with lung conditions, including those affected by Covid-19.
• The service will provide one to one support for patients in their homes over the phone and/or through video-conferencing.
• The funding will enable nurses and rehabilitation teams to expand digitally to meet the need for help. The funding will also see 400 of the charity’s volunteers equipped to enable them to provide vital 1-to-1 support to people to stay well at home.
• Specifically, through the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Covid-19 Discharge and Community Unit:

oCHSS nurses will facilitate quick discharge for people following treatment for Covid-19 by working with them to build their confidence to come home via telephone and VC support.

oPeople will be referred to CHSS rehabilitation support team to maintain any rehab exercises to help with breathing, mental health and management of the impact of Covid-19 on their long-term condition.

oThey would then be referred into one of the 140 local peer support groups for advice and support in the community.

• This funding will enable to CHSS to put the necessary systems in place to deliver this:

oCall centre set up and on costs - £10,000

o38 Laptops, headsets and IT support - £40,000

oPhones and laptops for 400 discharge support volunteers - £280,000

Thrombectomy education

• An evidence based online thrombectomy e-learning module as part of Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland’s proposed national thrombectomy education programme, and:
• A national thrombectomy education programme in the form of evidence based clinical education sessions in the care of patients who are eligible for, and may have undergone thrombectomy as a procedure post stroke to support NHS Boards throughout Scotland.

The number of police recorded crimes of shoplifting are published in Table 1 of the Recorded Crime in Scotland bulletins. The latest data is shown in the following table.

The Scottish Government’s Criminal Proceedings in Scotland statistics primarily focus on prosecutions and convictions in criminal courts. However,­­ they also include some non-court disposals, including police-issued Antisocial Behaviour Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) and COPFS-issued FPNs. The former are not used for shoplifting offences and the latter are only very rarely used for them. The most recent data show no FPNs issued for shoplifting since 2018-19.

The UK Government’s decision to introduce means-testing of Winter Fuel Payments in England and Wales in 2024-25 significantly reduces the annual funding available to the Scottish Government, by an estimated £140 million to £160 million. It is with deep regret and only following careful consideration that the Scottish Government has decided it must replicate that decision in Scotland and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will therefore be payable to people over state pension age in receipt of certain benefits. Those benefits are Pension Credit, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Universal Credit, Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits (where the award is not less than £26 in respect of the tax year 2024-2025).

Payments of Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in 2024-25 will be made by the Department of Work and Pensions on behalf of the Scottish Government.

ScotRail Trains Ltd. regularly engages with a range of business groups to understand their views. All weekend, later evening and between-peak tickets remain available at off peak rates and many products are available which offer further discounts to passengers depending on their circumstances at all times of the day.

Within an extremely challenging financial context, the Scottish Government has made difficult funding decisions. Local authorities have received all the funding they have requested for flood protection in 2024-25 and, as such, £26 million from the Flood Risk Management Programme is being repurposed this financial year to support local government pay and avoid impactful industrial action. Decisions on the status of future projects will therefore be made by individual local authorities. We have sought assurances from local authorities through COSLA that redirection of this portion of the funding will not impact on councils progressing with their flood protection schemes as planned.