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Information on TAVI procedures in Scotland for 2018-19 and 2019-20 was submitted by sites to the UK National Cardiac Audit Programme. Published data is available from the British Cardiovascular Interventional Society (BCIS) - Audit Results - British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (bcis.org.uk) .

The published reports indicate that in 2018-19 there were 310 TAVI procedures, and in 2019-20 there were 400 TAVI procedures carried out in Scotland. The reports do not break down the number of cases per Scottish site.

The Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme is currently working with TAVI sites across Scotland to collate data for 2020-21 onwards.

Primary care professionals have access to multiple sources of education and update regarding heart valve disease and management both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Through local interface groups local pathways to support diagnosis and management have been developed at board level with opportunities for specialist advice and rapid referral where required.

Scottish Government has no current plans to carry out a public awareness campaign on heart valve disease.

Councils must give due regard to the statutory guidance published by the Scottish Government in contracting for retrofit and energy efficiency projects. We would expect councils to apply relevant and proportionate selection criteria to establish the suitability of bidders as part of their procurement. These are the minimum standards or requirements that bidders must meet in order to progress. For example by establishing their suitability; financial standing; and their technical and professional ability to undertake the necessary works.

Councils must clearly target fuel poor areas as part of projects funded through our Area Based Schemes (ABS). For example by showing that a project is located in one of the most deprived 25% of areas by SIMD classification. Councils are expected to obtain the necessary information to confirm that relevant households and properties are also eligible for grant-in-aid based upon the guidance provided by the Scottish Government.

When applying for support through the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund projects are required to provide a variety of information including a financial model, a feasibility study, project programme and risk register.

The Scottish Government meets with health boards on a regular basis to discuss the vaccination programme. Ensuring it is as accessible as possible for everyone is a key priority. As individual requirements are different, anyone who has concerns about access arrangements should contact their local health board to discuss any additional support needs they have so that adjustments can be made to accommodate them.

The NHS Inform website provides a breakdown of support available by local health board, including help finding transport to your vaccination appointment.

The Scottish Government already provides grant funding support for SME businesses to replace fossil fuel heating systems with zero emissions systems. Since 2020, the SME loan/cashback scheme has been offering interest-free loans of up to £100,000 with a 75% cashback grant of up to £10,000 towards the costs of a renewables heating system and a further 30% cashback grant up to £10,000 for energy efficiency measures.

We have committed to continuing our SME loan and cashback (or grant replacement) schemes until at least 2023.

The process for identifying and designating one or more new National Parks in Scotland will involve a fair and transparent bidding and evaluation process to identify the area or areas which will be put forward to obtain National Park status and allow the statutory process to begin. The Scottish Government remains open minded about the number of areas which will be progressed to National Park designation during the lifetime of this Parliament.

Scottish participation in the UK National Cardiac Audit Programme (NCAP), managed by the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR), was previously enabled through the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP).

The Scottish Government had been working with HQIP since November 2018 to identify a mutually agreeable legal basis that would support Scotland’s continued participation in a number of UK wide audits, including the NCAP programme. It was not possible to identify one and as a result, throughout 2020/21 there was a phased withdrawal of Scottish Government participation in HQIP associated audits as an appropriate point was reached in each.

As replacement for the NCAP, in April 2021 we commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to develop the Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme. PHS have been actively seeking data submissions from all sites across Scotland which previously contributed to the NCAP.

PHS are currently working with clinicians and patients across Scotland to undertake further development of the audit programme.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with COSLA on air quality matters. However there have been no recent discussions on the specific issue of local authority powers to tackle vehicle idling, as the authorities themselves are best placed to make decisions on implementation.

a) NHS Staffing

In all areas of NHS Scotland, a great deal of effort is going into ensuring that services have sufficient capacity to deal with COVID-19, manage other risks and resume planned services as safely and effectively as possible. Although NHS Scotland’s staffing levels are at a record high, following nine years of consecutive growth, we are fully aware of the difficult circumstances that Boards and frontline staff are working in. That is why we have announced a record £300 million of new investment in measures to help services deal with system pressures over winter.

Measures we are taking as part of this investment include the recruitment of 1,000 additional healthcare support staff to support patients in hospitals and in community health teams, as well as £4.5 million of funding to attract registered nurses to Scotland. This activity is supplemented by an additional £1 million to enhance Boards’ capacity for recruitment.

Decisions on local staffing requirements and recruitment are the responsibility of individual NHS Boards. However, Scottish Government officials are continually engaging with NHS Boards to identify particular areas of concern.

(b) Social Care Staffing

The Scottish Government launched a national recruitment campaign on 8 November to attract more people to the social care sector. This campaign emphasises the value of a career within social care by showcasing the benefits of the sector beyond pay, and towards the extrinsic and intrinsic rewards of the role.

Officials are working at pace with SSSC and other key sector partners to develop a national induction programme to support new entrants into Adult Social Care; to promote career opportunities and deliver policies on fair work, upskilling and developing the workforce. This commitment is crucial to improving the experience of the social care workforce and addressing long standing recruitment issues in the sector.

As a result of lobbying efforts from the Scottish Government, the Home Office have temporarily extended the Shortage Occupation List for EU workers. Social care workers, care assistants and home care workers are to become eligible for a health and care visa for a 12-month period.

The Scottish Government will continue to push for a migration system tailored to Scotland’s needs, including a Scottish Visa, and work with partners and employers to develop proposals that suit their requirements.

(c) Public Transport Staffing

For bus service staffing, Transport Scotland and Scottish Government Officials are continuing to work closely with bus service sector representatives and other partners to help facilitate solutions to the staffing pressures brought by the COVID-19 pandemic compounded by the consequences of EU Exit. This has included work to help connect local employability partnerships with bus service operators as well as ensuring that the sector is represented in the Labour and Skills Shortages Action Plan process.

For rail service staffing, due to an increase in COVID-related absences and subsequent disruption in December, ScotRail has put a temporary timetable in place to provide a more stable and reliable service. ScotRail staff COVID-related cancellations have now reduced significantly following the successful introduction of a reduced timetable on 4 January. Around 8% of services have been withdrawn in this temporary timetable – largely additional peak services – leaving a more reliable core timetable in place. It is planned to retain the revised timetable until the end of the month, but ScotRail will keep this under review to balance staffing resources and demand from passengers as best as possible.