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NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) publish spending in relation to PPE and Covid-19 testing kits as part of their annual accounts, which are published on their website.

NSS’ 2021-22 annual accounts, once finalised, will be published in line with their financial reporting timetable.

Detail not provided within their accounts would require to be requested from NSS.

A set of data tables for the most recent and historical hospital bed numbers for each board is available in the annual PHS publication, which was released on 28 September 2021, which be found at https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual-annual-year-ending-31-march-2021/

Data is available from financial year 2011-12 to financial year 2020-21. Hospital beds data is presented in the Table 4 – beds data file, and the measure of interest is Average Available Staffed Beds for All Specialties.

A set of data tables for the most recent and historical hospital bed numbers for each board is available in the annual PHS publication, which was released on 28 September 2021, which be found at https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-annual-annual-year-ending-31-march-2021/

Data is available from financial year 2011-12 to financial year 2020-21. Hospital beds data is presented in the Table 4 – beds data file, and the measure of interest is Average Available Staffed Beds for All Specialties.

In March 2022 we published, in partnership with CoSLA, the National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care. The Strategy outlines our shared vision for the workforce, a sustainable, skilled workforce with attractive career choices where all are respected and valued for the work they do. This vision supports our tripartite ambition of Recovery, Growth and Transformation.

As part of this additional training places have been created in Gastroenterology through the Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group. One extra post was created in 2014, with a further 10 having been established in 2022. All additional places have filled successfully.

The Scottish Government is also investing £11 million over the next 5 years in new national and international recruitment campaigns. As part of that investment, a new national Centre for Workforce Supply has been established which will support the development and implementation of resource strategies and services across the system.

To ensure all Health Boards have sufficient capacity, planning guidance has been issued to support the production of new Three Year Workforce Plans, supported by local systems’ workforce data.

As part of this all Health Boards must consider local population health needs and projected service demand, using that information to assess current staffing capacity and any relevant staffing gaps in all specialties including gastroenterology.

At national level, we will use this intelligence to inform new staffing projections for health and social care, which will be published in the coming year as part of the National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care.

If a patient chooses to purchase a test from a private provider, we recommend that they discuss the test’s suitability and their approach with their clinician. It would ultimately be the decision of their clinician whether to accept the result, based on the available evidence and their knowledge of the patient’s clinical history.

Specifically in relation to COVID-19 testing, as set out in our Test and Protect transition plan for any purpose which COVID-19 testing continues to be advised we will ensure that these tests remain available free of charge. This includes testing that is advised as part of a patient’s clinical care and to protect higher risk settings such as hospitals.

The #LiveableNHSBursary campaign is focused on the situation faced by latter years medical students studying in England which is something we are unable to comment on. Scottish domiciled medical students are eligible for the standard student support package which is comprised of tuition fees and living cost support throughout all 5 or 6 years of their medical degree. Furthermore in February 2002 a £350 loan uplift for 2022-23 for higher education students was announced. This means that the most disadvantaged students can access £8,100 per year through bursary and loan and the Scottish Government remains committed that the total student support package reaches the equivalent of the Living Wage over the next three years.

In Scotland medical ACT is currently used to fund Travel and Subsistence for students in all regions and this is monitored in light of the changing economic climate and impact of locus of student placements in remote/rural settings.

It is not possible to accurately estimate, from nationally held data, the current number of unpaid carers of people with dementia.

Data collected by Public Health Scotland (PHS) through their social care data collection provides some information on people receiving social care support who have dementia. However, while data on whether the person receives help from an unpaid carer is requested, this was recorded as ‘Unknown’ or was left blank for 48% of records in 2020-21. As such, it was not possible to accurately estimate the number of unpaid carers of people with dementia from this data.

The Scottish Government published its response to the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce (ZEST) report on 14 th June 2022, and can be accessed at http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781804355176 .

The ZEST report rightly highlighted the need for clarity with regards to the second Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH2) given that milestones were not fully aligned with net zero and it also confirmed that Housing Associations and Local Authorities need long-term certainty to plan investment appropriately.

The Scottish Government has therefore confirmed that the review of EESSH2 will be brought forward to commence this year for completion in 2023, in order to provide registered social landlords with as much certainty as possible as they plan to retrofit their stock.

While the review is underway the current EESSH2 2025 and 2032 milestones will be temporarily put on hold to ensure that any investment is targeted toward long-term solutions that deliver net zero and support the eradication of fuel poverty. Social landlords should continue to invest in energy efficiency measures to help reduce running costs, and in zero emissions heating systems where appropriate.

The Scottish Government’s Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund supports projects to deploy zero emissions heat, improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty. The fund will make £200 million available over the course of this parliament.

As set out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy, the Scottish Government recognises the challenges presented in decarbonising Scotland’s tenements and earlier this year convened a Short Life Working Group of experts, tasked with developing recommendations on the best approach for tenement buildings to reach a good level of energy efficiency and install a zero emissions heating supply. The recommendations made by the Group will form part of a forthcoming public consultation.

Scottish Ministers have also commissioned the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) to undertake a law reform project, considering the establishment, formation, and operation of compulsory owners’ associations in tenement properties, including the feasibility and desirability of providing powers for associations to carry out energy efficiency and heating improvement work. This was one of the key recommendations of the Scottish Parliamentary Working Group on Tenement Maintenance. The SLC expects to provide the Scottish Government with a report detailing its recommendations and providing a draft Bill for consideration by Spring 2026.

We currently do not have the data by IJB and the following table gives details by Local Authority area. Full details are contained in the Care home census for adults in Scotland Statistics for 2011 to 2021 ( Care home census for adults in Scotland - Statistics for 2011 to 2021 (full release) - Care home census for adults in Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland ) .

Estimated Average Gross Annual Charge (£) for Fully or Mainly Self-Funded Long Stay Residents (without nursing care) in Care Homes for Older People in Scotland, by Local Authority Area.

We are currently refreshing our Tobacco Action Plan and considering a range of evidence-based interventions. One of the actions we are considering within the next Tobacco Action Plan is to introduce more ‘SmokeFree’ spaces. This could include beaches, amusement parks, playgrounds, hospitality venues etc. The addition of these measures, would not only reduce the prevalence of the use of tobacco products in these areas, but would also reduce the visibility, and impact of single-use plastics such as cigarette butts on the environment.

The Scottish Government are also currently running a call for evidence on single-use food containers and other single-use items, including single-use plastic tobacco filters. This call for evidence will be used to gather evidence on a selection of single-use items used in Scotland to aid future decision making on actions that could be taken to reduce the impact they have on the Scottish environment.

As set out in the Transport Scotland Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan, it is planned to electrify the route to Dundee and Aberdeen by 2035.

The decarbonisation of the lines to Dundee and Aberdeen form later phases of the rolling programme, they are at an early stage of development with a detailed implementation programme and cost estimate still to be developed.