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The controlled target intake for funded places for Academic Year 23-24 has been maintained at 4,837 overall, comprising 4,536 nursing places and 301 midwifery places. However these figures are subject to annual review with key stakeholders as previously agreed by the then Health Secretary, Mr Humza Yousaf.

The Scottish Government allocates a budget to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as part of the annual Budget Act process. Decisions on how that budget is spent in order to deliver a balanced budget is a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Officer as the Accountable Officer.

It is appropriate that SFRS continues to review its operations to ensure it is effective and delivering value for money and that includes taking decisions on the number and location of fire appliances. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the potential cost or savings from individual operational decisions made by SFRS.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19307 on 4 July 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 .

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office (CSO) invests through NHS Research Scotland in a range of research infrastructure to support Health Boards host and participate in clinical research, including to support the development of new medicines. CSO also supports a range of funding opportunities for applied health research, including for research on the development of new therapeutic approaches.

To support scope based diagnostics we have published an Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan which is backed by a £70m investment. The plan focuses on key areas such as: Balancing Demand and Capacity; Workforce Training and Development; Infrastructure; and Innovation and Redesign.

In recognition of the pressures on Colposcopy services specifically, we have provided over £660,000 of additional funding to NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, NHS Highland, NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside to support activity and free up capacity nationally.

This funding was used to enhance capacity through recruitment and additional clinics, including at weekends, to allow increased activity and to reduce demand.

The Scottish Government continues to prioritise investment in frontline services and provided an increase of over £730 million to NHS Boards in the 2023-24 budget, taking total investment in NHS Grampian to over £1.1 billion – an increase of almost 94% since 2006-07.

Additionally, we are providing a further £200 million to NHS Boards to support financial sustainability and address financial challenges in year. NHS Grampian will receive over £17 million as part of this support.

We will continue to work with all Health Boards, including NHS Grampian, to address financial and workforce pressures across the system. Our Sustainability and Value programme has been established to deliver essential reform and sustainable services that are fit for the future, whilst prioritising patient safety .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19355 on 4 July 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 .

The Scottish Government expects NHS Health Boards to follow the recommendations in the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke for the UK and Ireland, published in April. The ultimate decision about a particular clinical procedure or treatment will always depend on each individual patient’s condition, circumstances and wishes, and the clinical judgement of the healthcare team.

Work is ongoing to establish the most effective means of further expanding access to thrombectomy, to maximise the number of patients able to benefit from this treatment, including eligible patients in NHS Forth Valley.

Our new Stroke Improvement Plan includes a commitment to publish a plan and timeline for the further development of the thrombectomy service in the second half of this year.

The Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF) funds Community Link Workers (CLWs) as part of primary care multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs).

As at March 2023, there were 97.7 WTE Community Links Workers working in NHS board provided services within Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board. Within this, 94.9 FTE were funded through the Primary Care Improvement Fund and 2.8 FTE were funded through other sources.