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We are committed to improving the prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare for all people living in Scotland who are affected by any form of cancer. This is reflected in our £100 million, 5 year national cancer strategy, ‘Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action’.

We are particularly committed to early detection, through our £42 million Detect Cancer Early Programme and national bowel screening programme. Such screening can identify pre-cancerous signs in men and women over 50, and treatment at such an early stage is usually incredibly effective.

A clinical refresh of the Scottish Referral Guidelines has been completed, based on the latest evidence and published on 22 January 2019. The revised guidelines will support primary care clinicians, including GPs, refer patients, regardless of age, that have a suspicion of cancer, allowing for earlier diagnosis and treatment and increasing their survival chances. Eight pathways were updated as part of the clinical refresh, including Lower GI which colorectal cancer falls under.

Influenza vaccine uptake is monitored by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) based on aggregate level data for all population groups eligible for free influenza vaccine in Scotland.

Information on vaccine uptake estimates during each season is routinely published in HPS weekly Respiratory Reports. Information on cumulative provisional vaccine uptake estimates for the eligible groups for this season as at week 7 (week ending 17 February 2019) is available at: https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/resp/resourcedetail.aspx?id=3671 .

Breakdown of the 2018-19 vaccine uptake estimates by board and eligible group is not available until later this year once the immunisation programme has been completed and evaluation of the data is undertaken.

Detailed information on vaccine uptake from 2010-11 to 2017-18 by board and eligible group are published on the HPS website and available at: https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/resp/seasonalinfluenzavisualisation.aspx .

I am aware that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have required, on occasion, to temporarily close Out of Hours centres often for a short period of time. This is due to the difficulty in finding GPs willing to fill certain shifts in the out of hours period. The decision to close any Out of Hours centre is taken on the grounds of patient and staff safety.

Patients should access Out of Hours services by first contacting NHS 24 where, if assessed as being required to attend an Out of Hours service, they will be directed to the closest most appropriate centre. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde also provide a home visiting service in the Out of Hours period for those patients who cannot attend a centre.

I am aware that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are in the process of reviewing their Out of Hours service and are looking at a range of options to make the service more resilient including the use of Advanced Nurse Practitioners and salaried GP posts for the service.

NHS Scotland advertised vacancies through focussed campaigns in ten countries during the first quarter of 2018. Subsequently candidates have been through selection, shortlisting and assessment phases.

Advertising spend on the campaign was £28,400, this was met by the participating health boards. The campaign attracted some 60 applications, of which health board selection and assessment panels determined that there were 8 potentially appointable candidates, health boards have confirmed that they have made five appointments.

As set out in an update to Parliament on 26 February, officials are in the concluding stage of appointing two co-chairs of this review. It will be for these independent co-chairs to determine the remit, timeframes and approach of the review and, once established, this information will be shared with Parliament.

There are a number of specialist cardiac services and provisions for children with heart conditions in Scotland. The National Paediatric Cardiac Service (PCS), based at Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Children, incorporates cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology and neonatal cardiac services; providing an expert package of care for children with cardiac conditions, up to age 16. This service operates closely with the Scottish Adult Congenital Cardiac Service, providing transitional support between paediatric and adult congenital heart disease services. There are also Paediatricians with an interest or expertise in cardiology in most local NHS Boards.

The PCS is commissioned by the National Services Division, funding in the previous three years is £7,438,162 (2015/16), £7,740,834 (2016/17), £7,827,748 (2017-18).Funding for local services is through individual Boards. Scottish Government does not hold information on numbers of medical staff employed by NHS Boards.

Through the Forestry Grant Scheme, the Scottish Government supports the public access improvements within woodlands and the management of woodlands within the Woods In and around Towns (WIAT) initiative area.

The Scottish Government provides enhanced support through the Forestry Grant Scheme for woodland creation in WIAT areas within the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) area. Approvals for woodland creation in urban areas across Central Scotland were worth approximately £10 million during 2018-19, with similar funding expected for 2019-20.

In addition Forest Enterprise Scotland continues to manage in excess of 40 WIAT woodlands within the CSGN, with the sites receiving almost 1.5 million visits in 2017. This will require an annual management and maintenance investment of approximately £1.5 million.

The Scottish Government recognises the value of the Branching Out programme that uses forests to help to improve the health and wellbeing of people with mental health problems across Scotland. The Scottish Government remains committed to continuing the programme and will announce in due course plans to develop the programme further in 2019-20.

Scotland’s new Forestry Strategy 2019-2029 sets out a strategic framework for action including increasing the use of Scotland’s forests and woodlands to improve people’s health and wellbeing.

Urban woodlands in particular play an important part in improving the quality of life of people in our towns and cities. They reduce air pollution and provide green spaces for recreation which have been shown to be particularly beneficial for people’s mental well-being. In recognition of this, the Scottish Government has signed the Woodland Trust’s statement promoting urban forestry.

The Scottish Government provides specific grants to target woodland creation and access in urban areas and works in partnerships, such as with NHS Greenspace to improve access at health board sites. Furthermore, the Scottish Government provides around £950k per annum to the Central Scotland Green Network Trust (CSGNT) to support the co-ordination of delivery of the CSGN. Planned woodland creation in the CSGN area is now at its highest level since 1999.

Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES) acts as a responsible manager of access across Scotland’s National Forest Estate. It currently welcomes 10 million visitors annually, a figure which is growing. Visitors tale access to the Estate for a range of physical activities ranging from easy access trails and dog walking through to more challenging activities and sports such as mountain biking.

Opportunities exist across the Estate including in some key urban areas such as the Clyde Gateway where Cunnigar Loop Woodland Park is proving very popular with all age groups seeking the opportunities which woodlands and recreational facilities offer to improve physical fitness and mental wellbeing.

Details of the facilities and opportunities for enjoying access to Scotland’s National Forest Estate are currently promoted though the FES website, on social media and a range of leaflets and other media outlets. A new website will be launched for the new Forestry and Land Scotland Agency on 1 April 2019.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21337 on 26 February 2019. 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 .