- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13514 by Maree Todd on 16 January 2023, when it anticipates the Menopause and Menstrual Health Policy Working Group will have developed a menopause and menstrual health workplace policy for NHS Scotland.
Answer
This is a medium term commitment in the Women’s Health Plan, due for delivery by September 2024 at the latest. We are on track to meet this delivery date. An expert working group has been established and we are in the process of gathering evidence to inform the policy.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps the Scottish Prison Service is taking to (a) identify and (b) provide treatment for prisoners with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Answer
I have asked Jim Kerr, Interim Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:
From a learning and education perspective, all individuals admitted to custody are invited to participate in a screening process conducted by SPS education provider (Fife College), who deliver contracted learning services across all SPS sites. If during this process the assessor identifies any behaviours, presentation or capacities that are indicative of a neurodivergent condition, a further referral can be made to utilise a profiling tool called Do-IT with the consent of the individual concerned. In these circumstances specifically trained Fife colleagues apply the profiling tool. The referral process is open to all staff, not just SPS uniformed staff, if they believe an offender in SPS care needs additional support.
In addition SPS may also fulfil its role in the identification and treatment of offenders in its care by referral of individuals who present with potential learning difficulties to the NHS. NHS are then responsible for assessment, diagnosis and the development, in partnership (with SPS), of a support plan. Formal clinical assessment and diagnosis falls within the remit of NHS colleagues who would refer to specialist services where indicated. A shared support plan would be developed and implemented as required. Where an offender is admitted into custody with an existing diagnosis, NHS colleagues would support transition from those community services with which individuals have been engaged.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines it has given to GPs regarding the welcoming of Ukrainian refugees into their services.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10150 on 29 August 2022 . 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 .
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines it has given to local authorities regarding the welcoming of Ukrainian refugees into their housing services.
Answer
The Scottish Government has published online guidance which explains to local authorities’ their responsibilities to displaced people from Ukraine under the Homes for Ukraine (and Scottish Super Sponsor) scheme. This guidance can be found online here: Person checks - Super Sponsor Scheme and Homes for Ukraine: guidance for local authorities - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a permanent digital testing environment that allows potential new health and care technology to be developed and tested in a safe environment, and, if this is the case, how much was spent on developing it.
Answer
DHI offer a demonstration environment where new innovations and ideas for health and care can be tested. All health boards have their own test environments and processes. NES and NSS both have national test infrastructure. As part of all major programmes, testing is a critical component which is included in the overall funding for systems and technology.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13758 by Keith Brown on 19 January 2023, for what reason it does not hold this information; what consideration it has given to doing so, and whether Police Scotland holds this information.
Answer
The data received from Police Scotland for producing the National Statistics on Recorded Crime, is a simple count of the number of crimes and offences, for each local authority, which the police have recorded and cleared up. As such we are unable to separately identify any offences that included the seizure of a 3D printer or 3D printed guns. We also produce Official Statistics on crimes and offences involving the use of firearms in Scotland, but this doesn’t include information on seizures of weapons.
Whilst user needs are kept under review, there are no current plans to collect data on this specific type of activity as Police Scotland can be contacted for further information. In terms of the current position, they have confirmed that as of January 2023, there have been no seizures of 3D printed guns or 3D printers being used for illicit purposes.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Digital Health and Care Strategy, how much it has spent on supporting health and social care organisations to have access to the basic resources required to develop as digital organisations, broken down by organisation.
Answer
Supporting health and social care organisations to develop as digital organisations takes the form of many different resources and initiatives. This includes, for example, development of guides such as the Digital Telecare Playbook that supports organisations manage the transition to digital telecare. It also includes the skills of staff, and investment in basic infrastructure such as web cameras to enable use of Near Me. These costs are built into budgets for national programmes, and into local organisations budgets for the delivery of digital developments. It is therefore not possible to breakdown funding. This year, in 2022-23 as part of the overall health portfolio investment, we are investing £99.6 million in digital health and care. This covers a huge amount of work ‘behind the scenes’ that is needed to modernise our health and care systems.
This investment in our systems – and the required cyber security, the training of staff to use the systems and the ongoing maintenance and development – takes up most of our budget. The 2022-23 Delivery plan provides further detail on spend across the Digital Health and Care directorate in its support of health and care organisations.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what software packages, other than Office 365, were considered for embedding across the health and care system.
Answer
Advances in technology and the growth in its use, means we need a constant focus on what is coming next. Our annual delivery plan for digital health and care (Care in a Digital Age: Delivery Plan 2022 to 2023 - Care in the Digital Age: delivery plan 2022 to 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ) sets out our ambitions for technology and infrastructure delivery.
Many items in our delivery plan cover embedding software packages across health and care. Examples include embedding clinical software to support effective and safe patient care including GP IT, Picture and Archiving Communications System, Emergency Care Summary.
The use of software packages is driven by clinical need and staff need. The Scottish Government are in ongoing engagement with stakeholders to seek views as required.
Software is not the only component to be embedded in the health and care system. Successful delivery of digital health and care requires many factors including services design, skills, workflows, and adoption. More information on this is available in the delivery plan.
The Delivery Plan will be reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis and the 2023-24 Delivery Plan that is due to publish later this year will include a further update.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Digital Health and Care Strategy, whether it has provided a single and secure way for health and care staff to sign in to clinical and care systems and data.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to support NHS Boards to implement single sign on solutions and technologies to have safe and streamlined access to systems. In addition, the Scottish Government is supporting the federation of the Microsoft 365 platforms to further integrate access to systems and data across the health and care sector.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Digital Health and Care Strategy, what training programmes it has developed to ensure that all health and care staff have the essential digital skills that they need to do their job, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The Building Digital Skills and Leadership Programme enables the delivery of Priority 4 of the refreshed Digital Health and Care strategy where ‘Digital skills are seen as core skills for the workforce across the health and care sector’. The associated programme priorities are found within the Care in the Digital Age: delivery plan 2022 to 2023.