Seòmar agus comataidhean

As stated in the answer to question S6W-17851 on 31 May 2023 the Scottish Government has no role in setting the levels or assessing the impact on individuals of registration fees for the regulated health professions. These functions are within the statutory authority of the governing councils of the independent UK regulators, including the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

The Scottish Government recognises the unwelcome additional burden that higher fees will place on registrants, especially during the current financial climate. However, we acknowledge that the HCPC - as a registrant-funded independent regulator - is facing the same cost pressures as other organisations, including other regulators that have also raised their fees.

Occupational Therapy is one of the professions included in the Scottish Government's Agenda for Change (AfC). Following acceptance by all Unions, the 2023-24 Pay Deal was implemented, with both uplift and additional payment, in the April pay run. This pay deal came after Agenda for Change took difficult decisions to find this money within the health budget, confirming its commitment to supporting AfC staff, particularly during a cost of living crisis.

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 absolutely committed to an infrastructure solution to address the landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful. I share the urgency communities and businesses place on maintaining and improving connectivity of this vital route, which is why we are progressing measures for the short, medium and long term in tandem.

On 2 June 2023 the preferred route for the permanent, long-term solution at the Rest and Be Thankful was announced consisting of an online option with a 1.4 kilometre long debris flow shelter. Accompanying this announcement, the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Stage 2 Assessment Report was published and includes the current estimated cost of the preferred option which is approximately £405 million - £470 million (at 2023 prices).

I share the urgency communities and businesses place in maintaining and improving connectivity of this vital route, and remain absolutely committed to ensuring continuity of access to Argyll and Bute so that the region remains open for business.

A detailed programme and procurement strategy to deliver the improvements to the Old Military Road as quickly as possible is currently being developed and it is expected that the improvements will be carried out on a phased basis starting later this year. The cost estimate will be updated as part of this work.

Design and assessment work on both the medium and long-term solutions are progressing at pace. We also continue to explore methods to reduce the timescales to bring forward these improvements as soon as possible, whilst continuing to maximise the availability of the existing A83.

Clearly market conditions have changed in the past few years - the pandemic, Brexit and inflationary pressures have all played their respective parts in changing the procurement and delivery landscape across Government. However, we will continuously review the impact of current inflationary pressures and market conditions for both the medium and long-term measures.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17922 on 30 May 2023. 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

Ministers and Scottish Government officials regularly meet with representatives of all professional partners, including Royal College of Occupational Therapists, to discuss matters of importance to the professions of which they represent.

The Scottish Government has no role in setting the levels or assessing the impact on individuals of registration fees for the regulated health professions. These functions are within the statutory authority of the Councils of the independent UK regulators, including the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). In common with the other regulatory bodies, the HCPC’s establishing legislation requires it to publicly consult as part of the process for assessing the level of fees which will enable it to carry out its statutory public protection duty.

The Scottish Government recognises the unwelcome additional burden that higher fees will place on registrants, especially during the current financial climate. However, we acknowledge that the HCPC - as a registrant-funded independent regulator – is facing the same cost pressures as other organisations.

The nursing student intake targets by academic year are listed in the following table.

The Scottish Government alongside a wide range of stakeholders including health and social care partners, NHS Education for Scotland, Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and Skills Development Scotland, is taking forward work to develop alternative career pathways into nursing including potential apprenticeship models and other ‘earn as you learn’ routes. These pathways have the potential to widen access into the profession to those individuals wishing to pursue a career in nursing but may not choose the undergraduate route and to those individuals already employed in NHS Boards or the care home sector, allowing people to study and work at the same time whilst accessing education to progress their career. We already know that many Healthcare Support Workers are seeking career progression and some have entered the second year of an undergraduate programme after being supported by their employer and the Scottish Government to complete an HNC whilst working. We are exploring what more can be done to showcase these routes for existing staff whilst also attracting new employees to our NHS by enabling them to understand the opportunities available to develop and progress towards registered roles.

NHS Lothian are currently piloting a traineeship approach with HEI partners for new staff and early indications show high levels of interest and staff retention.

The Scottish Government values the skill and dedication of our nurses and midwives, particularly in recent difficult circumstances. This is reflected in a pay deal worth more than £1 billion over the last two years, ensuring that nurses and midwives in Scotland continue to be the best paid in the UK.

We continue to strive towards developing and retaining a sustainable healthcare workforce in NHS Scotland and work is already underway supporting the Work-life Balance polices, that include flexible working, retirement and leave policies. As well as, the development of the NHS Scotland Interim National Arrangement on Retire and Return that supports retiring employees to return to employment in their health board.

In addition, we have also established a Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, to build on efforts to make Scotland the best place for nurses and midwives to come and work by developing plans to bolster retention and recruitment of the existing workforce, and aim for our people to have the best conditions and career opportunities.