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As per standardised Terms and Conditions, the Scottish Government expects NHS Scotland Agenda for Change staff, including nurses, to be paid in full any amounts due for all the hours they work.

The Scottish Government welcomes the publication and recommendations of The Nursing Workforce in Scotland report by RCN Scotland.

NHS Boards are responsible for ensuring they have local policies in place to recruit effectively and retain their staff. They are supported in this through the Scottish Government’s National Workforce Strategy, which sets out the actions it will take in partnership with Boards to plan, attract, train, employ and nurture the health and social care workforce.

This has included completing a review of career pathways for healthcare support workers and publishing a national education and development framework, in November 2022, which provides information on how to progress into a registered practitioner role.

Our recently established Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce will also build on efforts to make Scotland the best place for nurses and midwives to work by developing plans for recruitment and retention. The Nursing Workforce in Scotland Report, and its recommendations, will be considered by the taskforce as a part of its work.

Over the summer we will continue to work with stakeholders, including the Royal College of Nursing, to develop a Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan.

The Scottish Government, through the National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care, has set out a number of short, medium and longer term actions that seek to progressively improve the quality of our health and social care workforce data, and its analysis. Further detail is set out in Part III of the strategy, 'Action', which can be found at: National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care in Scotland (www.gov.scot)

Planning for the review of the Agenda for Change system has commenced. The process will be undertaken in conjunction with NHS Scotland Staff Side and Employers in a confidential space with any amendments to Agenda for Change announced via existing channels.

After weeks of intense negotiations, I am delighted we have come to an agreement with BMA Scotland on pay deal which they will now put to their members.

Recognising the incredible work that Junior Doctors do, we have offered a fair and progressive rise which will mean a cumulative pay increase of 14.5% over two years - the best offer on the table in the UK.

This offer means a doctor at the beginning of their career would receive a total salary increase of £3,834 over two years. For those at the end of their training the rise would be £7,951 over the same period.

I would like to note the good faith in which we have collectively engaged, along with my appreciation for the views and insight Junior Doctors have brought to these negotiations.

BMA Scotland are the biggest medical trade union who represent 99% of unionised Junior Doctors in Scotland. We have long established successful partnership structures with BMA Scotland, and discussions on pay are held through these.

After weeks of intense negotiations, I am delighted we have come to an agreement with BMA Scotland on pay deal which they will now put to their members.

Recognising the incredible work that Junior Doctors do, we have offered a fair and progressive rise which will mean a cumulative pay increase of 14.5% over two years - the best offer on the table in the UK.

BMA Scotland are the biggest medical trade union who represent 99% of unionised Junior Doctors in Scotland. We have long established successful partnership structures with BMA Scotland, and discussions on pay are held through these.

After weeks of intense negotiations, I am delighted we have come to an agreement with BMA Scotland on pay deal which they will now put to their members.

Recognising the incredible work that Junior Doctors do, we have offered a fair and progressive rise which will mean a cumulative pay increase of 14.5% over two years - the best offer on the table in the UK.

The Scottish Government is currently working in partnership with Macmillan to improve the services offered to cancer patients, including those diagnosed with ovarian cancer, through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme (TCC).

This joint partnership with Macmillan is worth £18 million, and is the first of its kind in the UK. The programme looks to ensure that every cancer patient in Scotland has access to specialist key support workers, who can provide emotional, financial and practical support to those who need it most.

Further to this, the Single Point of Contact (SPoC) approach was introduced in the 2020 National Cancer Plan.

The SPoC ensures cancer patients have dedicated person-centred support that can discuss their specific circumstances. This will help ease any anxieties related to their care and treatment plans, and relay the support available to them and their families.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17748 on 18 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

I refer the member to the Public Health Scotland publication on ovarian cancer survival, which uses the Scottish Ovarian Cancer Quality Improvement Indicators. The most recent data can be accessed at the following address: Ovarian cancer QPIs survival analyses 2 May 2023 - Ovarian cancer Quality Performance Indicators - Publications - Public Health Scotland.