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The Scottish Government’s ‘There’s More to Care than Caring’ campaign launched 27 January 2020 and has run four times, with the latest activity starting on 23 January 2023 and due to conclude on 20 March 2023. We have evaluation data from the previous 3 campaigns, which details the achievements of the campaign in regards to engagement with the audience however this information is not broken down into subsectors across social care.

The Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) staffing matters are the responsibility of the DWP. It would be inappropriate for the Scottish Government or Social Security Scotland to comment on these or be considering any contingency measures without a formal approach from the DWP.

In April 2021, Scottish Government commissioned Public Health Scotland to develop and deliver the Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme. This programme will support delivery against the actions in Priority 4 of the Heart Disease Action Plan.

We also commissioned the ALLIANCE to deliver the Heart Disease Lived Experience Network. The Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme has engaged closely with the network to ensure that people with lived experience of heart disease have influenced the development of indicators.

Funding for Local Authorities is provided through the annual block grant settlement from the Scottish Government. Local authorities should use funding resources allocated to them in the manner which they believe will best meet local needs and circumstances within their respective areas.

Therefore, decisions on the installation and maintenance of defibrillators in schools is a matter for Local Authorities to consider at the local level.

A number of organisations provide advice and support for the purchasing and maintenance of defibrillators. This includes

The British Heart Foundation: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/apply-for-a-public-access-defibrillator

St Johns Scotland Public Access Community Defibrillators | St John Scotland

Scale Up BP, delivered by the Technology Enabled Care team, has been a successful programme supporting remote monitoring for diagnosis and ongoing management of high blood pressure. Evaluation has shown a positive impact on reductions in blood pressure. The programme continues with the majority of health boards now utilising the tool.

Investment has been made in the national remote monitoring solution, which is available to all Health Boards and Health & Social Care Partnerships. This includes Scale Up BP and a remote monitoring tool for Heart Failure.

Through the Heart Disease Action Plan Funding call in 2021, we provided funding for a second NHS board to implement aspects of the OPERA study within its local service provision.

The learning from this will support ongoing work by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery and the Heart Failure Hub to better understand the opportunities for improvements to the Heart Failure diagnostic pathway.

Delivery of this action is a long term objective of the plan. The National Heart Disease Task Force will consider the prioritisation of work to be undertaken in 2023-24 as part of our ongoing implementation of the commitments within the Heart Disease Action Plan.

In line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle, and just like similar schemes around the world, Scotland’s DRS is being delivered and funded by industry, led by the scheme administrator, Circularity Scotland (CSL).

Any future changes in the producer fee will be made by CSL in consultation with its members.

Circularity Scotland Ltd is a private company which was established by industry with the purpose of administering the Deposit Return Scheme. This model is in line with standard practice in other schemes across Europe.

This provision was agreed by the Scottish Parliament when it voted in favour of the DRS Regulations in 2020.

The requested information on the number of recorded crimes of having in a school an article with a blade or point, split by local authority area, is provided below. As with the national picture, at least part of any reduction at the local authority level during 2020-21 (and any subsequent increase in 2021-22) will likely reflect the closure of the school estate during the pandemic related lockdowns.

Table 1: Having in a school an article with a blade or point not used in other criminal activity