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Monitoring of performance against the nationally agreed criteria in the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme, which now includes a requirement to demonstrate adequate provision of psychological support, allows us to identify where challenges are being faced in the delivery of high-quality stroke care and supports the implementation of quality improvements.

Demonstrating provision of post-stroke psychological care is a new requirement for NHS Boards and therefore it will take time for implementation to be successful.

The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to increase performance against the criteria outlined in the review process, and we will work with them to support this.

The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (“ACCC”) has previously welcomed significant progress made by Scotland in addressing the concerns identified by the ACCC. Officials worked with Defra to submit an action plan to the ACCC on behalf of the UK in July 2022, in response to the ACCC’s decision VII/8s issued in October 2021. Work is ongoing in order to strengthen Scotland’s compliance and address the areas of concern raised by the ACCC. A progress report was submitted to the ACCC in October 2023, again following liaison with the UK Government and in particular Defra.

In July 2022 the Scottish Government introduced an exemption from court fees for Aarhus Convention cases in the Court of Session. The Scottish Civil Justice Council (“SCJC”) is undertaking a review of court rules relating to Protective Expenses Orders. As the SCJC is an independent body, the Scottish Government cannot commit to a timeframe for completion of the rule review. The SCJC have however noted it in their annual report and work programme as a priority for completion in 2023/24. Policy development is ongoing in relation to a new Human Rights Bill for Scotland, which is to include a right to a healthy environment.

The deadline for addressing areas of concern and submitting a report to the ACCC is October 2024.

The new Stroke Improvement Plan , published in June, includes a commitment to assess the current ability of NHS Boards to implement the National Model of Psychological Care in Stroke (Scotland).

This is being assessed via NHS Board reviews, which now include a requirement to demonstrate adequate provision of psychological support for those who have suffered a stroke.

In September, we published the National Specification for Psychological Therapies to help support improvements in the delivery of psychological care.

In academic year 2021/22, £15.5 million was spent on the delivery of workforce training opportunities through the Flexible Workforce Delivery Fund.

Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM) shines a light on the continuing presence of Islamophobia in our society, and the impact that anti-Muslim hatred can have.

The Scottish Government is taking action to implement our new Hate Crime Strategy for tackling all forms of hate crime, including Islamophobic hate crime. The strategy was developed in partnership with a range of organisations who have expertise in tackling hatred and prejudice, including Police Scotland who are members of our Hate Crime Strategic Partnership Group.

Our Hate Crime Strategy Delivery Plan, published 20 November, outlines our priorities for tackling hate crime until 2026. The delivery plan sets out our action in relation to the strategy’s commitments, including support for victims and reporting, improving data and evidence on hate crime and developing effective approaches to prevention. It will also support implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.

Whilst regulation of internet services is reserved to the UK Government, we will consider the impacts of online hate crime, recognising the need to continuously improve and adapt to align with changes online. We want to ensure people – including children and young people – know how to keep safe online, including on social media.

We will continue to engage with the UK Government as they implement the Online Safety Act.

All Personal Independence Payment awards received from the Department for Work and Pensions are tracked throughout the case transfer process, to ensure a safe and secure transition into Adult Disability Payment. We monitor the progress of transferring clients’ awards on a daily basis and have a joint Scottish Government and Department for Work and Pensions forum to discuss progress and to raise and address any issues that may arise. Approximately 90% of all cases transferred from Personal Independence Payment progress through the process automatically and do not require any additional checks by client advisers.

Social Security Scotland ask clients about their experiences of case transfer as part of their regular client survey. The latest published survey covers January to March 2023 and can be found on the Social Security Scotland website. The Scottish Government are also currently undertaking an evaluation of case transfers to Child and Adult Disability Payment as part of the wider programme of evaluation of disability benefits.

Priority six in the Stroke Improvement Plan is focused on psychological care and includes commitments to understand the availability of existing resources and develop strategies for raising awareness of the emotional and psychological impact of stroke on mental wellbeing. Work to appraise the range of resources currently available is scheduled to begin in 2024.

Education and training programmes on post-stroke psychological and emotional impacts are available as part of the Stroke Training and Awareness Resources (STARs) Core Competencies and Advancing Modules, hosted by Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS). These resources were developed with the input of clinicians from across Scotland.

The criteria for NHS Board reviews sets out the Scottish Government’s expectation that all staff potentially dealing with hyperacute stroke patients should have undertaken the STARS Advancing Modules.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. For convenience, the National Records of Scotland have provided the data requested below:

Table 1: Acute gastroenteropathy due to Norovirus (A08.1) was the underlying cause of death, 2015 to 2022.

In Scotland we have a well established policy framework supporting our communities, delivered through a range of programmes and funds including funding to develop and improve community facilities.

For example, our Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP) has invested over £180m capital funding since its launch in 2021-22. The PBIP includes investment delivered through local government and the delivery of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF). PBIP is shaped by the needs and aspirations of local communities and has provided direct support for community and voluntary sector organisations to create and improve local facilities.

The RCGF provides capital funding to community-focused projects to help deliver regeneration in deprived and fragile areas. RCGF is primarily aimed at either providing new infrastructure or enhancing existing infrastructure that will improve the economic, social, and physical environment of communities. The fund has supported communities across Scotland to create and improve hundreds of assets and facilities, bringing back into use vacant and derelict buildings, including historic and landmark buildings.

Our Empowering Communities Programme complements the PBIP with revenue investment enabling communities to connect with and maximise impact from the capital investment, supporting the capacity, resilience, and sustainability of communities.

Official statistics show that as of 31 July 2023, 51,260 people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance had their award transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions to Social Security Scotland. This accounts for 55% of the Adult Disability Payment caseload.

Information is not readily available showing a breakdown of the reasons for transfers from Personal Independence Payment to Adult Disability Payment. The next set of statistics covering the quarter up until end of October 2023 are due to be published on 19 December 2023.