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We are continuing to work closely with Board Chief Executives and Directors of Public Health to ensure access to resources to increase testing capacity including Mobile Testing Units and the UK Government Social Care Testing Portal.

The Social Care Testing Portal went live on Monday 8 June and all Health Boards are now reporting on a weekly basis on the testing of staff and residents in care homes and providing data on actual testing that week and testing plans for following week.

We are publishing weekly data that includes what Health Boards have done in terms of numbers of staff and residents tested in Covid and non-Covid homes in the previous week and through what route, for example the Social Care Testing Portal.

Weekly data on COVID-19 in adult care homes in Scotland is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-additional-data-about-adult-care-homes-in-scotland/ .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-29881 on 26 June 2020. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx . .

In response to your question, the information you request is not available centrally; whether or not power of attorney has been granted prior to discharge is not recorded.

We can provide information on the number of people who were discharged from hospital to a placement following a period of delay due to matters associated with application of the Adults with Incapacity (AWI) legislation. A placement includes discharges to care home, and other placements including Intermediate Care.

Across Scotland, in January, a total of 18 people who had experienced a delay associated with incapacity were discharged from hospital, In February a total of 19 people were discharged, in March a total of 37 were discharged and in April a total of 41 were discharged.

I hope that this information is helpful.

We are in regular written and phone contact with Scottish Care on a range of matters relating to Covid-19. However, we have not entered into discussions with any organisations in relation to establishing a national care service.

Following Exercise Silver Swan, NHS Boards were provided with the exercise report by the Scottish Government to inform local planning. This included comment on national pandemic flu stockpile distribution. NHS National Services Scotland, who have the lead responsibility in the distribution of PPE, were consulted about their plans to distribute to the NHS. Some Boards have also been involved in examining how community pharmacies could support Board distribution of national stockpiles of antiviral medicines, which are a treatment specifically for pandemic influenza. These discussions are in addition to the general consideration of Exercise Silver Swan recommendations included in the answer to S5W-29612 on 25 June 2020.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on attacks against NHS Scotland staff. NHS Boards have delegated responsibility as the employer. Figures on violence and aggression towards NHS Scotland staff are collated by Health Boards, in line with the relevant policies and procedures.

Assault of any form is completely unacceptable and we take a zero tolerance approach, to violence and aggression towards our NHS Staff. We have been very clear that Health Boards should support all staff that wish to make a claim, against anyone who assaults a staff member.

The Scottish Government is monitoring closely and regularly publishing data on surveillance and our Test and Protect system that will give an early warning of local and national increases in Covid-19 cases. In addition, modelling undertaken by Scottish Government can be used to forecast the different potential scenarios.

The biggest single factor in controlling the virus and avoiding a second wave is how well we all continue to observe public health advice. We continue to take account of modelling expert advice, lessons learned from our own experience and from international data to adapt our plans and advice from the Chief Medical Officer and SAGE. We are now better prepared than ever to respond to any possible second wave.

Some NHS Boards were closely involved in the planning of Exercise Silver Swan alongside the Scottish Government. Following the exercise, NHS Boards were provided with the exercise report to inform local planning. NHS Boards and other organisations discussed the exercise recommendations with the Scottish Government on 6 December 2016. Discussions on the exercise have also been held between the Scottish Government and the NHS Board officials dealing with resilience issues. Both NHS Boards and Scottish Government are represented at Regional Resilience Partnership meetings, where the exercise was discussed at regional level.

Any policies on media handling would be a matter for NHSScotland. Boards as individual organisations to consider locally.

We have not undertaken work to establish the costs associated with a national care service.