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Identifying and ensuring that the £10m long COVID Support Fund is targeted at areas where this additional resource is most needed will make the biggest impact for those people with long COVID. That is why a Strategic Network is being set up to support the delivery of the policy framework outlined in ‘Scotland’s Long COVID Service’.

A variety of risk assessments are undertaken across all wards in the Hospital, including 4a and 4b, covering social distancing, hand hygiene, infection control precautions (SICPs) audits every 6 months, patient placement, and the verification of the specialist ventilation systems in ward 4b. The new and innovative Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) dashboard available to all staff enables real time review of IPC data, and allows for a quick and effective response to any risks reported.

The amount spent on executive search, advertising and assessment centre costs for the Director General Net Zero role is £26,837. Three candidates were shortlisted and assessed. Two candidates were interviewed by the final panel.

The list of private providers is owned by the UK Government. All providers included on the list must complete or be working towards full United Kingdom Accreditation Service accreditation. If a provider does not complete this or fails the accreditation then they are removed from the list.

Officials continue to work with UK Government to monitor performance of private tests providers. This is done at the private testing provider working group with the Department of Health and Social Care and the devolved administrations, which meet every 2 weeks.

The providers have various standards to meet, which are defined in our regulations and the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are set on turnaround times, customer service and sequencing requirements. Any provider not achieving these standards or engaging in unethical practices are removed from the list.

If individuals are having or have had an issue with a private test provider, they should first report this back to the provider. If they are not satisfied with this then they can submit a complaint here: https://enquiries.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/s/enquiries where the complaint will be investigated.

The National Cancer Plan, published on 9 December 2020, includes 68 actions and has been backed with up to £114.5 million. This includes a flagship innovation of the introduction of Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC), with three Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC) already established in NHS Scotland this year. The Centres provide primary care with a new referral route for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer (i.e. weight loss, fatigue, nausea), which don’t meet site specific Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer. The Clinical Lead for two of the Centres are Haematologists, reflecting the role that this new model can play in diagnosing blood cancers in Scotland.

The establishment and implementation of ECDCs are overseen by a national oversight group, of which the Scottish Cancer Coalition (that includes blood cancer charities) has representation on.

Officials are currently in discussion with the Blood Cancer Alliance to arrange a meeting in the new year, to explore how further improved outcomes for patients diagnosed with blood cancers can be achieved.

In line with the principle of producer responsibility, Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL) is a private company, established by industry to lead on delivery of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) as scheme administrator. As an independent, industry-led organisation, CSL’s procurement decisions are not a matter for the Scottish Ministers.

Producers of in-scope drinks are responsible for having their scheme packaging collected from return points free of charge from the full implementation date for DRS, either directly or through a scheme administrator. Industry is therefore liable for delivery of DRS by the full implementation date whether or not a scheme administrator is in place by that date. Until and unless amended by the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2022, that date is set in regulations as 1 July 2022.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to the early diagnosis of cancer is reflected in the £44m Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme. The NHS Recovery Plan – published August 2021 – commits an additional £20m for the DCE Programme, to provide greater public awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer and supporting the development of optimal cancer pathways to improve earlier diagnosis rates. Research will be undertaken in the coming months to better understand the possible barriers and levers to early diagnosis that any new DCE campaigns should focus on.

An overarching DCE social marketing campaign 'Survivors' was previously developed in close consultation with the Scottish Cancer Coalition in 2018. The campaign aimed to reduce fear around cancer and empower people to take early action, be it visiting their GP practice or attending screening when invited. To coincide with the campaign, a symptom-checker tool was developed on DCE’s website (getcheckedearly.org) to raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of cancer, including blood cancer.

The Scottish Government continues to work with Health Boards, Community Pharmacy Scotland and other stakeholders across the sector to address any challenges faced by temporary closures of community pharmacies.

The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer has committed to putting together a workforce forum which will meet in early 2022. The forum will look at the workforce challenges and bring together stakeholders from pharmacy education and pharmacy service provision to set a strategic workforce plan for the profession.

We are working with owners and representatives to fund the Single Building Assessments in the pilot phase. All £97.1m received in consequentials will be spent on assessments and cladding remediation over the lifetime of the programme.

Transport Scotland has undertaken to evaluate the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme following the first full year of operation. The evaluation will assess the short, medium and long term impact of the scheme by comparing conditions at different stages.

Baseline data collection is under way, including an online survey with children, young people and parents, secondary data collection, and assessment of travel behaviour, attitudes and perceptions of travel prior to the scheme’s starting on 31 January 2022.

During the first year of operation, short term outcomes such as uptake of entitlement and travel behaviour will be evaluated. This will be followed by a more thorough evaluation following the first full year of operation which will assess medium and long term outcomes such as changing travel behaviour and improving access to education, training and employment.

Further evaluations are planned to take place periodically to ensure that the scheme is meeting its stated objectives and offers public value.