- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 September 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the financial viability of (a) care homes and (b) care at home services, and whether it (i) plans to provide any financial assistance and (ii) has discussed the acquisition of care homes with (A) health and social care partnerships, (B) COSLA, (C) local authorities, (D) NHS boards and (E) other organisations.
Answer
The Scottish Government is in regular contact with stakeholders such as Scottish Care and CCPS on a range of issues, including the financial sustainability of social care services.
The Scottish Government has agreed additional funding of up to £100 million to support immediate sustainability pressures across social care. We continue to work with Integration Authorities and COSLA to ensure that claims are received and payments are made in good time to social care providers. We are currently working closely with Integration Authorities and COSLA to undertake a detailed Quarter 1 review of the financial implications of Covid, and following this review we will make a further funding allocation to recognise costs incurred across health and social care.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 June 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government how many contact tracers have been recruited as part of its Test and Protect strategy, and how many existing NHS staff have been redeployed as contact tracers.
Answer
Prior to the formal launch of the Test and Protect system, we asked all NHS Scotland boards to make available up to 2,000 staff to participate in contact tracing activity. As acknowledged at the time, the resource was provided substantially from existing workforce was an estimate of need and it was recognised that not all would be required at any one time. We keep contact tracing capacity under active review, in line with modelling undertaken by Public Health Scotland, with all boards required to maintain a total national capacity commensurate with demand. In commencing 03 August for instance, approximately 836 staff were available within boards to undertake contact tracing activity. The recruitment position within boards is subject to change in line with the national modelling picture, and where local service composition changes as a result of the mobilisation of other NHS services. In line with their service provision responsibilities, the recruitment of staff is devolved to NHS Scotland boards.
Recruitment to the National Contact Tracing Centre (NCTC) is on-going, as week commencing 03 August 2020, the centre had recruited 63 staff, and has a further pool of 66 staff it can readily deploy. Additionally, we continue to make use of the pipeline of candidates identified through national recruitment, with 300 shortlisted applicants currently concluding the interview process. The NCTC is in the process of finalising bank arrangements with NHS Forth Valley to be able to flex the resource into the NCTC; some 200-400 staff will be available through the bank arrangement; this will grow and be kept under review, in line with the modelling, to provide additional resilience.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government how many calls have been made each week to the COVID-19 helpline, 0800 028 2816, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) NHS board area.
Answer
Unlike the 111 service, NHS 24's 0800 Helpline doesn’t capture caller demographics and therefore the breakdown of information by Health Board/Local Authority area isn’t available. Please see detailed information below on the total number of calls to the Helpline per week as well as the total number to date.
Week Ending | Helpline Call Demand |
02.02.2020* | 53 |
09.02.2020 | 142 |
16.02.2020 | 321 |
23.02.2020 | 161 |
01.03.2020 | 1,928 |
08.03.2020 | 3,436 |
15.03.2020 | 15,335 |
22.03.2020 | 26,495 |
29.03.2020 | 20,175 |
05.04.2020 | 8,520 |
12.04.2020 | 5,080 |
19.04.2020 | 3,236 |
26.04.2020 | 2,367 |
03.05.2020 | 2,780 |
10.05.2020 | 2,058 |
17.05.2020 | 1,677 |
24.05.2020 | 1,527 |
31.05.2020 | 1,978 |
07.06.2020 | 2,593 |
14.06.2020 | 2,500 |
21.06.2020 | 2,186 |
28.06.2020 | 3,063 |
TOTAL | 107,611 |
* The week ending 02-02-2020 only contains data from 30th January, when the Helpline began.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 July 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will establish a third sector recovery and renewal fund for third sector health and care organisations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognised that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the third sector and that is why we launched the £25 million Third Sector Resilience Fund (TSRF). This fund was part of a wider £350 million emergency coronavirus funding. Health and social care organisations have received just over £6 million in funding through the TSRF.
The Scottish Government values its relationship with the third sector health and social care organisations. This relationship will continue to support our response to Covid-19 as we consider our ‘Remobilise, Recover, Re-design’ work. We are committed to working with our third sector partners to ensure that there is a person centred approach to re-mobilisation across our health and social care services in Scotland.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether charitable organisations such as drop-in centres that provide hot meals and supplies for those who need it are expected to follow the hospitality guidelines for safe reopening, or whether a more specific update will be issued.
Answer
Charitable organisations providing hot meals and supplies for those who need it should follow appropriate COVID-19 infection prevention and control guidelines which apply to the catering/food service sector. Food Standards Scotland has published a guidance package for all food businesses which details the measures that should be implemented to protect staff, volunteers and users of these services from COVID-19. The Scottish Government has also produced guidance for the hospitality sector which includes useful advice on measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 in settings where food is served.
However, it is also important that those responsible for managing these services contact their Local Authority Environmental Health department for advice on how this guidance applies to their particular circumstances.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 May 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government when it will be making the first payments to hospices in the Central Scotland region from the £19 million that it announced on 28 April 2020 to support such facilities in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including Kilbryde Hospice in East Kilbride, which is reportedly at risk of closure.
Answer
On the 29 June, I wrote to Scottish Hospices to confirm that their funding requests (totalling £10.1m) related to loss of income during the pandemic during the first financial quarter of 2020 would be met in full. Integration Authorities and NHS Boards were also notified of this on the same date, and the funding was processed for onward allocation to hospices at the end of June 2020.
It is important to reflect that this funding was provided on a one off basis for the full first quarter of the year to account for loss of income during the pandemic, and that we expect the existing commissioning arrangements between hospices and Integration Authorities to be maintained going forward.
It is also important to reflect that in April 2020, I indicated that Scotland was likely to receive an estimated £19 million in consequentials in respect of the £200 million for hospices included in the UK Government’s announcement of £750 million for charities. HM Treasury have not yet provided an updated final consequential funding figure associated with the original announcement, although it is expected to be significantly lower than the £19m originally expected.
When we have clarification on the total consequential funding we will receive this will be allocated in full to Scottish Hospices.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 25 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that patients have timely access to cancer services, and when cancer surgery will be restored to full capacity across all NHS boards.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 25 August 2020
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2020
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the work of NHS preparations for the end of the Brexit transitionary period.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 12 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the evidence it used to determine that 20 people are permitted to attend a funeral service, while 50 are permitted to attend other church services in the same location with the same safety measures in place.
Answer
Funerals are highly emotional and incredibly difficult events in our lifetimes. They are unique and intimate. Unlike most other gatherings, those in attendance are likely to know or be close to many others in attendance. Because of this, it is much more likely that vital public health measures to help mitigate or break chains of transmission of COVID-19, such as observing strict 2 metre physical distancing between households, will be forgotten. This is completely understandable at a time of grief, when people need the support of their close family and friends more than ever.
This has been the basis for us taking a much more cautious and careful approach when it comes to funeral services when compared to other gatherings, as we continue to seek to suppress the virus.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that there is representation of people with arthritis and their supporters on its Mobilisation Recovery Group.
Answer
The Mobilisation Recovery Group, which I chair, is an advisory group established under Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design: the Framework for NHS Scotland ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/re-mobilise-recover-re-design-framework-nhs-scotland/ ) to generate key expert, stakeholder and system-wide input into decisions on resuming and supporting service provision, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full remit and membership of the Group is available alongside the minutes of each meeting at:
https://www.gov.scot/groups/mobilisation-recovery-group/
The membership of the Group, which includes Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, will be kept under review to ensure that it continues to bring together stakeholders and decision makers; guaranteeing that that the delivery of health and social care services maintains a strong focus on quality, equity and person-centred care, within the necessary constraints of the COVID-19 response.
During the pandemic, emergency and urgent care has been provided, including treatment for pain as a result of emergency, acute presentations, infusion pumps for palliative care services and treatment for complex regional pain syndrome. We remain committed to resuming the full range of pain services as quickly as it is safe to do so, and we will shortly publish a COVID-19 Recovery Framework for NHS Pain Management Services to continue to inform this activity.
