Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18980 on 21 June 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 Women’s Health Plan sets out actions which aim to address women’s health inequalities by raising awareness around women’s health, improving access to health care for women across their lives, and reducing inequalities in health outcomes for women and girls.

NHS Boards are responsible for determining and delivering the services required by their local populations. For NHS Boards that cover remote and rural settings, local planning is expected to take account of the particular needs of these populations. Integration Authorities also engage and consult with a range of stakeholders, and work with local communities and professionals to improve outcomes and sustainability of provision through service redesign.

All grant funding allocated from the drugs policy division is subject to Scottish Government’s robust grant management process, outlined in the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM).The Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) provides guidance on the proper handling and reporting of public funds.

The SPFM also provides guidance on appraisal and evaluation techniques and procedures. The Green Book, Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government ? published by HM Treasury provides more detailed guidance on the principles, techniques and procedures applicable in relation to appraisal and evaluation.

Funding allocated to Scottish Drugs Forum for both core and specific project is presented in the following table. Information prior to 2017-18 is unavailable as it was deleted in accordance with our standard records management practice, before the date of your request. Therefore, funding allocated to the Scottish Drugs Forum from 2018-19 has been provided.

Funding allocated in financial year 2021-22 has been provided, however it is also publicly available at: National Mission on Drugs: annual report 2021 to 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government and our overseas offices work to advance Scotland’s interests, including those of our universities. Our international network will continue to invest in our international relationships and support our universities to engage globally.

As an autonomous body it is for Glasgow Caledonian University to decide on its strategic direction, including investment in particular areas of activity such as overseas campuses.

I had an introductory meeting with Alex Plant, Chief Executive of Scottish Water, on 6 June 2023 and have been in close contact with Scottish Water particularly on issues around water scarcity recently and will continue to do so.

We are working closely with affected Boards to ensure that unregistered patients will continue to be able to access emergency and urgent care via Public Dental Service clinics.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and have people at the centre of their care.

Clinical nurse specialists (CNS) make a valued contribution to delivering services and supporting patients and families who require specialist care. The Scottish Government has invested over £2.4 million annually in the Specialist Nursing and Care Fund since 2015, which continues to increase access to CNS nationally.

The Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland; however, the statutory responsibility for delivering or commissioning services at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS Boards and integrated health and social care partnerships. Operational decisions, including whether there is a need for lymphocytic leukaemia specialist nurses, are therefore matters for those bodies.

However, within cancer services we have piloted 12 Single Point of Contact (SPoC) programmes. This approach will ensure patients with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of cancer have dedicated person-centred support to discuss their specific circumstances.

We continue to work with key partners across Scotland to ensure that information, with the appropriate safeguards in place, is available to all staff when and where they need it. Regional Clinical Portals support NHS Boards to allow clinicians to access different pieces of information about an individual patient as a single electronic record including those patients from other NHS Boards if and when required.

The portal will scan the many clinical systems searching for records pertinent to the patient and assemble the results into a meaningful view on screen. The portal also allows a clinician with suitable access scrutinise the clinical information presented for a more detailed view, and to move into other systems without having to re-authenticate or reselect the patient.

Community Pharmacy gained access to the Emergency Care Summary (ECS) for all community pharmacists and registered technicians during COVID 19. It remains available in all NHS Boards, and is an effective tool to deliver enhanced and efficient patient care.

A total of £194,841 in private water supply grants has been awarded by North Ayrshire, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire Councils from financial years 2007-08 to 2022-23. A further £2,263,062 has been awarded by Argyll and Bute Council for the same period. However, it should be noted that the Argyll and Bute Council area goes beyond the West Scotland region. Totals by local authority are set out in the following table. The Scottish Government does not hold information regarding the breakdown of amounts awarded to (a) homes and (b) commercial premises.