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The Scottish Government meets with COSLA regularly as part of a programme of reform of the National Care Home Contract. On 10 October meetings were held involving COSLA, Scottish Government and other stakeholders to discuss matters relating to the National Care Home Contract, workforce and dependency planning tools.

In the last 12 months (Oct 2016 – Sep 2017) Transport Scotland officials made 830 claims for motor allowance through the Travel and Subsistence system. The Motor Allowance claim does not record the type of vehicle or fuel used so it is not possible to break this down further between petrol and electric vehicles.

Scottish Government officials are in regular dialogue with providers and receive live updates regarding any current issues. Scottish Government officials also hold a National Workforce Planning Group. This is the main stakeholder group driving the health and social care workforce plan and discussing the challenges facing the health and social care workforce both now and going forward into the future.

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with academic and other expert colleagues, is constantly reviewing research evidence to inform the development of evidence based policy in relation to nursing in the care home sector. Whilst the current UK and International (mainly US) evidence base in this area is limited, and still developing, there are a number of consistent findings from the available literature:

• Access to the full range of health and social care professionals and high quality support work are the key to delivering holistic care.

• Nursing roles in care homes are broad and multifaceted, and outcomes for residents can include enhanced personhood and wellbeing, improved health and function, and enhanced quality of life.

• Positive outcomes on relatives, staff and the home from nurses in general are noted.

Recommendations from the evidence base call for:

• Greater clarity on the type of care home where nurses have the greatest impact, i.e. where there are complex healthcare needs.

• Greater clarity on the precise skills and knowledge that nurses are required to have to work effectively in these settings.

• Work to enhance the image and career choices for nurses working in care homes.

These findings and recommendations are central to the current discussions around the role of nursing in care homes through the auspices of the National Care Home Contract with stakeholders including COSLA, SSSC, Scottish Care and the RCN.

The National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan will strengthen and harmonise workforce planning practice, take full account of the future demand for safe and high quality services for Scotland’s people and help to more accurately identify and address gaps in supply, including within the Social Care workforce.

• Part 1 of the Plan focuses on NHSScotland workforce planning and was published on 28 June 2017.

• Part 2, covering the Social Care workforce, will be published jointly with COSLA later this year. This approach will enable different workforce planning systems to take stock, and move forward incrementally towards improved integrated planning across the full Social Care landscape.

• Part 3, covering the workforce in primary care, will be published following the conclusion of GMS contract negotiations.

We are working with all major stakeholders across Health and Social Care, including NHSScotland Boards, COSLA, Scottish Care and other organisations as we take the Plan forward.

Negotiations with regards to the National Care Home Contract are taking place between local government and providers. We expect this to be finalised by March 2018.

Comprehensive assessments are undertaken prior to people being admitted to care homes and placed there by the relevant local authority/ integration authority. This incorporates a full needs assessment, including clinical needs, particularly for nursing care, as well as a financial assessment. For strategic planning and commissioning purposes, this information is aggregated at a local level to determine the overall number of placements which a local authority/integration authority may need in order to inform capacity planning in the care home sector.

The National Care Home Contract defines the terms of local authority placements into private or voluntary sector homes. It is negotiated annually between COSLA, Scottish Care and CCPS.

The National Care Home Contract is negotiated annually between COSLA, Scottish Care and CCPS. The Scottish Government is contributing to a range of work streams designed to reform and develop the National Care Home Contract, including in respect of workforce issues and quality and improvement. This will ensure that the National Care Home Contract remains fit for purpose and responsive to the changing needs of care home residents.

Our Programme for Government sets out that we will take the lead in promoting the use of ultralow emission vehicles (ULEVs) and phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2032, well ahead of the 2040 target recently announced by the UK Government.

The Scottish Government’s fleet replacement policy is to consider a replacement when a vehicle has reached 80,000 miles or six years. The final decision will also depend on the condition and history of the vehicle.

When considering vehicles for the fleet, the replacement will be fit for purpose, be ultra-low emission (where practicable) or offer significantly lower emissions (where practicable) than the vehicle being replaced, whilst ensuring best value for money.

This current strategy will allow us to phase out fossil fuelled vehicles as and when vehicles come to the end of their operational life and suitable replacements are available.