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Decisions about the rates for reimbursement of travel costs for family members who wish to visit The State Hospital are for The State Hospitals Board for Scotland. The current policy was implemented in 2021 and is due to be reviewed in 2024, however it can be refreshed prior to that.

The ‘Supporting Visitor Travel Policy and Protocol’ includes policy on the partial reimbursement of overnight visit costs.

The exchange of factually accurate patient information is pivotal to the delivery of high quality, safe, patient centred healthcare whether it takes place locally, regionally, nationally in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK. Normal practice would be that where a patient is referred by a specialist team in Scotland to a specialist team in another part of the UK, the clinician responsible for their care would write a formal referral letter which would include details of the patients diagnosis, investigations already undertaken, treatments pursued so far and any proposed treatment plan or specific request of the team to which they are referring. It is also often the case that the referring clinician may provide some further detail as part of a Multidisciplinary Team Discussion, Virtual Consultation or telephone call.

On the occasion that the treatment is unplanned, the NHS facility providing the treatment should contact the individual’s GP Practice, in Scotland, directly to exchange key information from their patient record. NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) are available to support Scottish practices and the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to facilitate the sharing of records and or important information about the patient.

Systems integration and providing greater access for the public to their health and care data is a priority for Scottish Government and our ambitions are set out in our Digital Health and Care Strategy which was published in October 2022 and available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-digital-health-care-strategy/

The Scottish Government does not have the information which has been requested.

Patient safety is a key priority for the Scottish Government. We are taking forward a programme of work aimed at preventing harm as a result of sodium valproate, and also ensuring that those who have been impacted receive the care they need.

The Scottish Government regularly consult with trade unions on matters impacting the workforce, in line with our partnership agreement, and have notified them of enhanced recruitment controls being put in place. We remain committed to making the best and most efficient use of our resources.

N95 face masks are not used in the UK. The Scottish Government has considered the use of Respiratory Protective Equipment (FFP3) for those on the Highest risk list in community settings, including those who are immunosuppressed and there isn’t sufficient evidence to confirm the benefits as well as possible disadvantages. Care is needed to ensure that people don’t use wrongly or misunderstand the protection they provide in different settings.

We are working with the sector to develop an updated and refreshed Action Plan under the auspices of our existing Culture Strategy, setting out the workstreams we are taking forward to support recovery and renewal. In doing so, we are currently considering the recommendations put forward by the National Partnership for Culture and the Creative Industries Leadership Group, which we received in spring 2022, and which relate directly to the recovery and renewal agenda. Our response to the National Partnership for Culture’s recommendations will be published shortly. Along with our ongoing sector engagement work, this will feed into our Culture Strategy Action Plan refresh, which we expect to publish in the summer.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with long-term conditions, including those waiting for orthopaedic surgery, are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put the person at the centre of their care. Information, including self-help, is available on NHS inform, and individual Health Boards are offering helpful advice to patients on topics such as weight loss, exercise and financial support.

Additionally, the Scottish Government will continue to engage with organisations such as Versus Arthritis regarding how best to jointly support patients living with orthopaedic conditions. This will be an ongoing process requiring essential collaboration with patients, carers, and service providers, including the third sector and clinicians.

Investment of over £1.6 billion for social care and integration in the 2022-23 budget progresses our commitment to increase spend in social care specifically by 25% – over £840 million – by the end of this parliament, and supports measures to strengthen the implementation of Self-directed Support, improve prevention and early intervention and to increase the delivery of more community-based support.

The Scottish Government has also committed to abolishing charges for non-residential social care and support and we are currently working with stakeholders to develop options to do so as soon as practicable.

The Resource Spending Review is due to be published in May 2022 and will include details on the Scottish Government’s multi-year funding arrangements across all Portfolios.

The total amount of publicly available electric vehicle charge points registered on the ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) network are as follows -

31 December 2019 = 1226

24 April 2022 (latest update) = 2244

Using satellite data and computer modelling, Forest Research have recently issued a revised estimate of around 8,000 hectares of forests impacted by the winter storms. This equates to around 16 million trees that have been blown over or otherwise damaged.

After Storm Arwen at the end of November, Scottish Forestry and Confor brought together the industry to take a strategic and collective view and co-ordinate the recovery of the fallen wood so that it can get to market in a safe and timely manner. Many landowners are still clearing up and this will continue for months to come, and will continue to be supported in that work by the Scottish Government and its agencies.