Seòmar agus comataidhean

We are committed to openness and transparency in an NHS that welcomes all forms of feedback and uses it to inform continuous improvement. The current NHS Model Complaints Handling Procedure (CHP) has been in operation across Scotland since 1 April 2017.

This revised procedure is intended to support a more consistently person-centred approach to complaints handling across NHS Scotland. It brings a much sharper focus to the early, local resolution of complaints, wherever that is appropriate.

The timescales for handling complaints, set out in the CHP, are in line with all public sector organisations’ complaints procedures in Scotland, with a distinct, five working day stage for early, local resolution, ahead of the 20-working day stage for complaint investigations. There are no plans to review the timescales.

We remain committed to supporting science festivals across Scotland in 2023-24 with funding of up to £220,000 available to make science accessible to a wider Scottish audience providing annual and local focus for activities and events.

Science festivals play a key role in towns and regions across Scotland in making science, innovation and creativity accessible to a wide public audience as well as inspiring young people. Science festivals also support the aims of the STEM Education and Training Strategy through supporting science learning, promoting careers in STEM and helping to inspire our next generation of scientists.

This year’s funding to support science festivals is allocated to festivals that take place between September 2023 and June 2024 and have an existing, proven track record of delivery. The festivals must also include public events such as topical debates or talks by scientists, family activities allowing children and young people and parents to learn about science together, and, unless being held during school holidays, a schools programme for primary and secondary schools.

Any organisation interested in running a science festival and receiving grant funding from the Scottish Government should contact our Science Advice and Engagement Team via the Central Enquiries Unit (CEU@gov.scot), for further information about funding criteria and requirements.

Public Health Scotland currently publish a range of statistics relating to Primary Care services in Scotland: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/?ic=topics-primary-care&q=&fq=topics%3APrimary+care%23&sort=pdesc .

We continue to work with all partners to develop a clear and evidence-based approach to ensure robust data is available. A Primary Care Data and Intelligence Programme Board has been established to inform this development work going forward.

A substantial amount of progress has already been made, notably with the introduction of a new publication of General Practice activity data. This collaborative effort between ourselves, the profession, National Services Scotland and Public Health Scotland, was a significant step in our journey to improving access to General Practice data.

This is in addition to the continued investment in the national GP IT re-provisioning programme, which allows Health Boards the ability to offer new and advanced, modernised systems for General Practice in Scotland. This will enhance access to GP data, and enable quality data to be stored and reused many times for multiple purposes, to allow us to better understand and improve the provision of care.

NHS Highland’s oncology service is currently provided by a mix of substantive staff, locum consultants and some support from consultants based in other boards. This arrangement is ensuring all patients are receiving the treatment they need. Efforts to recruit additional substantive staff are ongoing, however this is difficult because of the current UK national shortage of doctors who are qualified oncologists.

The number of posts advertised annually by NHS Education for Scotland is determined by two factors: (1) the number of trainees who have completed training, obtained a CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training) and whose posts are therefore vacant, and (2) whether any additional posts have been created.

We funded the creation of additional training places this year in both Medical and Clinical Oncology. This, coupled with high CCT rates, has led to lower fill rates. All unfilled posts are being readvertised in the last recruitment round of 2023, meaning these fill rates could improve. The end-year position will be known in November.

During the development of the Bill Scottish Government officials have been in regular contact with officials from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to understand the UK Government’s plans for the legislation and the impact it will have on organisations in Scotland as well as with subject-specific officials in other Departments. There have also been exchanges between the various Ministers in both Governments throughout the process.

Of particular focus in these discussions has been: the need to balance the rights of individuals with reducing the burden on organisations using personal data; the potential for impact on EU data adequacy for Scotland as a result of the Bill, which the Scottish Government has sought assurances on; and the areas which require Legislative Consent from the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Government also issued a response to the UK Government’s 2021 consultation ‘Data: a new direction’ which informed the development of the legislation.

The Scottish Government gathers data on displaced Ukrainians applying for homelessness support as part of the statutory collection which feeds into the Homelessness in Scotland official statistics series. The intention is to publish this data six-monthly, in line with the timing of the Homelessness in Scotland publication schedule. Annual statistics are published around late August and a six-monthly update, to give an indication of trends ahead of the next annual publication, is published around late January/early February.

The Scottish Government is providing the funding per the following table for the financial year 2023-24. Health boards can use this funding to manage and remove asbestos as and when it is appropriate to do so.

The following table presents the budget for NHS estate maintenance in each of the last three financial years. It is the intention of the Scottish Government to double the NHS estate maintenance funding over the Capital Spending Review period of 2021-2026.

Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical missions of this government.

The Tackling Child Poverty Ministerial Oversight Group, which I will convene, will provide Ministerial-level oversight and assurance of the delivery of the actions set out in Best Start, Bright Futures.

Scottish Government analysis, published in April 2022, estimated that reversing key UK Government welfare changes that have taken place just since 2015 could lift an estimated 70,000 people out of poverty, including 30,000 children, in Scotland this year. We will continue to urge the UK Government to match our ambitions in tackling child poverty head on through reversing its policies such as the benefit cap and child cap and bedroom tax.