Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-25007

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices currently provide an online booking system for patients.

The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Scotland) Regulations 2018 provide that:

A contractor must provide its registered patients with—

1. an online appointment service;

2. an online repeat prescription service; and

3. an online repeat prescription information service,

in a manner which is capable of being electronically integrated with the computer systems of the contractor’s practice and using appropriate systems authorised by the Health Board.

Health Boards are responsible for contracting with GP practices. The Scottish Government does not hold information about how many practices currently provide online booking systems.

Question reference: S6T-01788

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the reported recall of 150,000 women who were wrongly excluded from cervical cancer screening since 1997.

Question reference: S6W-24549

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to train physician associates and anaesthesia associates in each of the last five financial years.

Employment of Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs) is the responsibility of individual NHS Scotland Boards who receive funding from the Scottish Government. In the case of AAs, it is open to Boards to employ and support these individuals for the duration of their training as a way of building clinical capacity. There have been no nationally funded programmes to grow the AA and PA workforce over the last five financial years.

We will work with NHS Education for Scotland and continue to review the merits associated with a subsidised educational offer for trainee AAs and PAs in Scotland, building on models adopted elsewhere in the UK, as we progress with an evidence-based approach to the expansion of Medical Associate Profession roles across NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-24343

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how its Budget recognises the part that social care plays within Scotland’s communities as an investment in the overall health of the nation.

We have protected and prioritised additional investment into social care despite the extreme pressure the Scottish Government is under as a result of the ongoing impacts of Covid, Brexit and inflation, and UK Government spending decisions, this years Budget has managed to increase the social care and integration budget by over £1 billion compared to 2021-22, exceeding our commitment to increase funding for social care by 25% over the life of the Parliament.

Social care workers delivering direct care in commissioned services will see their pay increase to a minimum of £12 per hour from April 2024 thanks to an additional £230 million investment. This represents a 10.1% increase from the £10.90 minimum rate that was introduced in April 2023, and a 14.3% increase in the last two years.

We acknowledge the importance of social care as an investment in the health of the Scottish population, this is why we continue to work closely with Health and Social Care Partnerships to support people out of acute settings and back into the community or home as quickly as possible using a 'Home first' approach.

Question reference: S6W-24339

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking through its Budget for staff, services and patients in relation to those in need of support who are waiting more than six weeks for a social care assessment due to the sector reportedly being under-resourced.

The Scottish Government invested £1.7 billion in social care support and health and care integration in 2023-24, and the Scottish budget for 2024-25 provides and additional £2 billion investment in social care and integration. This delivers on our commitment to increase spending by 25% over this parliament – two years ahead of our original target.

Whilst the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care support policy, local authorities and health and social care partnerships are responsible for commissioning appropriate services for local and individual needs.

Question reference: S6W-24340

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the current social care workforce is female.

Question reference: S6W-24338

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether social care staff can reach pay equity with those in the public sector by the Fair Work Nation deadline of 2025, in light of it offering £12 per hour to not-for-profit social care and support staff in its Budget.

The Scottish Government has a long-standing commitment to the principles of Fair-Work as we recognise and value the work that the social care sector do.

We are committed to lifting standards for adult social care workers and for those people who are in receipt of care, which is why we have increased spending within the sector.

The £12 minimum pay-rate from April 2024 for Adult Social Care workers represents a 14.3% increase for these workers in the last two years; with pay rising from at least £10.50 per hour in April 2022.

We have continued to progress a number of key projects to take forward and improve Fair Work principles, which will not only improve the current experience of the workforce, but also help to attract and retain new staff into the workforce.

Question reference: S6O-03061

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress against the five fair work benchmarks in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

Question reference: S6W-24342

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been saved from the revised and delayed National Care Service proposal, and how much of that money has been ringfenced for reinvestment in social care.

From a funding perspective there was no funding committed to the National Care Service as a result of the original Financial Memorandum, its purpose was only to show, as a result of the Bill, the potential additionality of cost that could be incurred were the Bill to progress as introduced. This is also the case for the revision to the Financial Memorandum and the associated Shared Accountability costing.

The commitment to increase social care funding by at least £840 million over this Parliament has been surpassed 2 years early, with funding for social care increasing by over £1 billion compared to 2021-22. Furthermore, the 2024-25 draft Budget supports services with investment of over £2 billion to support health and social care integration.

Despite increased investment and vision of the National Care Service, it is noted that the system is under extreme pressure as a result of the ongoing impacts of Covid, Brexit and inflation. We will continue to work with partners across health and social to address these challenges and to take forward the reform that is essential for delivery of financially, environmentally and socially sustainable services for the people of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-24341

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how paying social care staff £12 per hour is consistent with the aims of the Fair Work agenda, in light of this level of pay reportedly contributing to a level of gender pay inequality.

The Scottish Government has a long-standing commitment to the principles of Fair-Work as we recognise and value the work that the social care sector do.

The £12 minimum pay-rate from April 2024 for Adult Social Care workers represents a 14.3% increase for these workers in the last two years; with pay rising from at least £10.50 per hour in April 2022.

Four out of five people who will benefit from this uplift in pay are women. Increasing pay not only helps the workforce in question but will also positively impact on our wider priorities on child poverty, Fair Work and post-Covid pandemic recovery in the health and care sector.

The creation of the National Care Service will help to provide consistency in further improved pay and conditions, access to training and development and ensuring a career in social care is attractive and rewarding – but we are beginning to make those improvements now .

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