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Through the Block Grant, the Scottish Government's policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow them the financial freedom to operate independently. It is their responsibility to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on youth work, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21155 on‎ 22 September 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

Under the leadership of Public Health Scotland (PHS), the long COVID Strategic Network has developed a theory of change and logframe which form the basis of a comprehensive framework to evaluate long COVID services. Both the theory of change and logframe were developed in close consultation with representatives across the Network, including people with lived experience of long COVID, clinicians, researchers, service planners, local boards, PHS and Scottish Government officials.

The theory of change provides the context around what the Network is aiming to achieve, while the logframe is the complementary tool enabling the tracking of milestone indicators linked to process, outputs, and outcomes. For example, indicators include those linked to the implementation of long COVID service pathways, generation of research and evidence, and the development of an education and training strategy.

In addition, patient related experience and patient outcome measures will be recorded through NHS Boards’ use of the C-19 YRS digital screening tool. The provision of heath data through this tool will be of vital importance in understanding the provision and effectiveness of long COVID services. Where possible, the data will be disaggregated by age, gender, ethnicity, and deprivation quintile. This will support understanding of any inequitable variation in service provision, experience and outcomes which may need to be addressed through service changes.

A data and intelligence group has been established to oversee reporting against the monitoring and evaluation framework. This will allow the Network to have an informed understanding of overall progress of its support to the provision of long COID services.

We have commissioned NHS National Services Scotland to establish a National Strategic Network to ensure the development of our approach to supporting people living with long COVID is informed by evidence and expertise. As part of this activity, NHS National Services Scotland has commissioned the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) to facilitate a long COVID Lived Experience Network to support people affected by long COVID to engage with and inform the activity of the Strategic Network.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) has been conducted for the Lived Experience Network to inform its approach and identify issues impacting on people with protected characteristics, including those from minority ethnic communities. When individuals join the network, they are asked to complete a voluntary equalities monitoring form to support with monitoring representation. Regular audits of the membership of the network are conducted to highlight any gaps in representation. This informs where further targeted outreach is needed and to identify areas for improvement.

NHS Boards’ use of the C-19 YRS digital screening tool will provide disaggregated data on who is accessing services, including by ethnicity and other protected characteristics. The collection of health data through the tool will be used to map the provision and effectiveness of long COVID services.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21155 on‎ 22 September 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

11 out of 14 territorial NHS Scotland Boards have long COVID pathways in operation. The following table outlines anticipated commencement date of the remainder, where applicable.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21155 on‎ 22 September 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

In our response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review we committed to establish a Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme to further enhance and protect human rights within legislation, policy and practice. This includes a commitment to enhance carers’ rights and role in practice through further developing and promoting carer awareness training for staff working with people with mental or intellectual disability across health and social care settings, by 2026.

These actions will also be set out in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan, which will be published in Autumn 2023.

We have funded NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to develop three training modules for the health and social care workforce, including those working with mental or intellectual disability across health and social care settings, to help them to identify, include and support unpaid carers. We expect those to be launched by the end of 2023.

Rather than permanent monitoring, which is the common approach for water companies in England, Scottish Water worked with SEPA to carry out a comprehensive Scotland-wide environmental study programme to assess and model the impacts of its assets on water quality. The programme was undertaken during the 2015 to 2021 investment period with an investment of £40m. These studies supported identification and prioritisation of River Basin Management Planning objectives, which were published at the end of 2021.

The computer models Scottish Water developed allow it to understand when CSOs will spill, under what rainfall conditions and the impact those spills will have on the environment. Instead of taking the approach of English water companies, targeted monitoring is being put in place to support the information already obtained from the models and to support operational performance. The Scottish Government is supportive of this evidence based and proportionate approach by Scottish Water. We also support their decision to invest inn widening monitoring by installing 1,000 new spill monitors by the end of 2024 with an investment of up to £70m.

Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Routemap commits it to publishing near real-time spill data for all monitored CSOs by December 2024. The data collected by the 1000 new monitors will support SEPA’s and Scottish Water work to prioritise investment where it will most benefit our environment and communities. Continued investment by Scottish Water contributes towards Scotland’s water quality being at its highest level ever, with 87% of the water environment rated as good or better, up from 82% six years ago. Scotland’s River Basin Management Plan sets out objectives, including those for Scottish Water, aiming to improve water quality to 92% of the water environment to be in good or better condition by 2027.

Patient care and service delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers. NHS Boards are responsible for working with their partners to plan and provide health services which meet the needs of their populations.

When a patient has an experience that does not meet their expectations, they should contact their local Health Board at NHS Inform.

The Scottish Government remain committed to supporting all Boards to meet the standard that 90% of patients start treatment within 18 weeks of referral. We have allocated £48.6 million of supplementary funding to Boards this year via the Mental Health Outcomes Framework to improve the quality and delivery of mental health and psychological services for all. This is in addition to the £36.7 million directly allocated to Health Boards via the Outcomes Framework in 2022-23, and to the total package of core funding that Health Boards receive.