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Latest assured figure (from 31 July 2024) showed that around 14,000 premises were still expected to be connected through the R100 Central contract.

Latest coverage figures, including premises connected that were beyond the scope of the initial R100 contracts, are available on our website at Data insights | Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to the development of our ports, and the potential for new direct freight and passenger ferry services linking Scotland to Europe.

I have personally engaged with parties interested in introducing new ferry services, and Transport Scotland officials communicate regularly with potential operators and Scotland’s main ports. We have been clear throughout those discussions that UK Subsidy Control rules mean that any new service will be required to be delivered on a commercial basis.

We will continue to engage with port operators and others to explore opportunities for new commercial services, so that Scottish exporters and passengers have more direct routes to Europe. However, this is ultimately a decision for commercial operators.

The Scottish Government provided the following objectives to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland covering financial years 2020-21 to 2024-25:

2024-25

Thrombectomy education

• Continued delivery of Stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) Assessment Training (STAT+) education sessions to NHS boards to incorporate recent changes to thrombectomy services and to ensure all new staff within NHS Boards have the required knowledge and skills in their role.
• Continued offer of delivery of thrombectomy information sessions to staff across the stroke pathway and out with acute services i.e. stroke rehabilitation units, allied health professions, community stroke nurses.
• Continued delivery of virtual Link up and Learn education sessions to healthcare professionals working in stroke across Scotland, ensuring allocated sessions for thrombectomy updates.
• Continued promotion of this programme and the Scottish Government approach to supporting the implementation of thrombectomy services at external engagement events, conferences and training sessions.
• Continued liaison with the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme Coordinator and the Scottish Government on outcomes achieved within Health Boards in relation to Thrombectomy Education to support Stroke Improvement Plan measures.
• In partnership with the Stroke Speciality Advisor to Chief Medical Officer and Stroke Improvement Programme Lead, carry out scoping of Face Arms Speech Time (FAST) education required across clinical staff groups e.g. Scottish Ambulance Service and Emergency D staff, and to implement FAST education to enhance recognition of stroke symptoms

2022-23

Social Isolation and Loneliness (SIAL) Winter funding package

• Translation of materials into Polish, Ukranian, Urdu and Punjabi. Proposed impact: Total 4,500 people reached (1,500 copies distributed and 3,000 impressions on the website.)
• Recruitment of Urdu and Punjabi-speaking volunteers. Impact: Work towards 10 bilingual volunteers recruited with 10 people supported initially. Total of 40 contacts per month (4 contacts per person per month).

Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest bystander aftercare project

• Engagement with Scottish Ambulance Service to agree effective contact mechanism
• Development of bystander support website landing page
• Development and refinement of debrief script
• Initiation of bystander support service
• Mixed methods evaluation

Thrombectomy education

• Redesign of the STAT + service to take into account recent changes in delivery of thrombectomy services to ensure education reflects practice.
• Continued delivery of STAT+ education sessions to Boards to incorporate recent changes to thrombectomy service.
• Offer of thrombectomy information sessions to staff across the stroke pathway and out with acute services i.e. stroke rehabilitation units, allied health professionals, community stroke nurses.
• Offer of delivery of a virtual re-fresher course to NHS boards to incorporate recent changes to thrombectomy service.
• Continued delivery of virtual Link up and Learn education sessions, twice per month, to healthcare professionals working in stroke across Scotland ensuring allocated sessions for thrombectomy updates.

Long Covid

• People with long COVID access support and proactive advice around self-management which promotes recovery, in parallel with wider clinical management and complementing NHS interventions.
• People with long COVID can access or be signposted to relevant sources of support including advice on social security entitlements or debt management.
• People living with long COVID accessing the service report positive outcomes, including reporting a positive experience of accessing the service, feeling listened to, feeling supported to look after their health and wellbeing, feeling supported to do the things that matter to them, and achieving personal outcomes identified as goals at the start of their engagement with the service.

Long Covid

• Integrate the long COVID application developed by Pogo studios in to the system that CHSS uses for clinical records, appointments, calls, collection of data and evaluation provision to service.
• Improve patient experience by reducing time between the acceptance of support and the onboarding of patients into the CHSS system.
• To enable improved reporting methods and data collection.
• Allow for automatic reporting to take place between GPs and the CHSS teams to ensure a shared care approach.
• Simplify data sharing elements.

2021-22

Social Isolation and Loneliness (SIAL) Summer fund

• To tackle Social Isolation and loneliness.

Tailored Talks

• We will collaborate to develop an innovative digital presentation platform which will deliver comprehensive information to patients and carers with a wide range of neurological conditions to support shared decision making, consent and signposting.
• Tailored Talks allows health and social care professionals and people working in third sector organisations to provide information which is tailored to each individual patient’s needs.
• This information can be shared on screen during face-to-face meetings/consultations, on paper (for people without access to digital technology or who are not keen to use it), and also remotely by emailed pdf or via weblinks so that patients and their carers can access the information on their mobile devices, PCs or laptop computers.

Thrombectomy education

• STAT+ and pre-requisites to be added to the National Stroke Education Pathway
• Finalisation of Thrombectomy booklet and compiled into a standardised national booklet for distribution to NHS boards
• The 6 month questionnaire to a named attendee in each session ensuring attendees have sustained and applied the learning will require to be delayed until thrombectomy services are established to ensure data collected is robust
• Extension of thrombectomy education project for 2022-23 to ensure continued delivery of STAT+ education sessions and refresher sessions.
• Consider roll out of STAT+ virtually during national lockdown
• Development of a virtual re-fresher course due to extended period of thrombectomy services roll out.

2020-21

Winter support funding (Covid) including top up

• Kindness Volunteer Programme – tackling social isolation and loneliness through kindness calls

Tailored Talks

• We will collaborate to develop an innovative digital presentation platform which will deliver comprehensive information to patients and carers with a wide range of neurological conditions to support shared decision making, consent and signposting.
• Tailored Talks allows health and social care professionals and people working in third sector organisations to provide information which is tailored to each individual patient’s needs.
• This information can be shared on screen during face-to-face meetings/consultations, on paper (for people without access to digital technology or who are not keen to use it), and also remotely by emailed pdf or via weblinks so that patients and their carers can access the information on their mobile devices, PCs or laptop computers.

Long Covid

• As a result of Covid-19, to support vulnerable individuals and those in need, to help communities respond to the needs and challenges they are experiencing, and protect the wellbeing of the people of Scotland.

Supporting the NHS in dealing with COVID-19

• The funding will allow Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland to develop its hospital discharge and community services for people with lung conditions, including those affected by Covid-19.
• The service will provide one to one support for patients in their homes over the phone and/or through video-conferencing.
• The funding will enable nurses and rehabilitation teams to expand digitally to meet the need for help. The funding will also see 400 of the charity’s volunteers equipped to enable them to provide vital 1-to-1 support to people to stay well at home.
• Specifically, through the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Covid-19 Discharge and Community Unit:

oCHSS nurses will facilitate quick discharge for people following treatment for Covid-19 by working with them to build their confidence to come home via telephone and VC support.

oPeople will be referred to CHSS rehabilitation support team to maintain any rehab exercises to help with breathing, mental health and management of the impact of Covid-19 on their long-term condition.

oThey would then be referred into one of the 140 local peer support groups for advice and support in the community.

• This funding will enable to CHSS to put the necessary systems in place to deliver this:

oCall centre set up and on costs - £10,000

o38 Laptops, headsets and IT support - £40,000

oPhones and laptops for 400 discharge support volunteers - £280,000

Thrombectomy education

• An evidence based online thrombectomy e-learning module as part of Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland’s proposed national thrombectomy education programme, and:
• A national thrombectomy education programme in the form of evidence based clinical education sessions in the care of patients who are eligible for, and may have undergone thrombectomy as a procedure post stroke to support NHS Boards throughout Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s Education Analytical Services division conducts analysis on issues related to school attendance, including absence and attendance statistics. These statistics are collected and published annually. Additionally, our team regularly reviews both internal and external literature on school attendance, examining various types of attendance issues, the factors influencing attendance patterns, and interventions aimed at addressing these challenges.

While we continuously track attendance trends, we draw upon the latest academic studies and research to ensure our understanding of the consequences of long-term school absence remains current. This includes considering the immediate impact on academic performance as well as the broader social, emotional, and economic effects of school absence. Our work informs policies and strategies designed to mitigate these impacts and promote equitable outcomes for all learners.

The Scottish Government recognises the long-term impacts of persistent absence and is committed to improving school attendance. Following a comprehensive review by Education Scotland, five key recommendations were identified, including the need for tailored support in areas where attendance remains a challenge, and ensuring that children and young people's voices are central to solutions. An online support package has been developed for use by local authorities and schools. Education Scotland is also working with local authorities through the ‘Improving Attendance Quality Improvement Programme,’ launching in October. Additionally, the Chief Inspector for Education is focusing on persistent absence during inspections to identify and share successful strategies across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving attendance in Scottish schools. Last year, we requested that Education Scotland undertake a “deep dive” to support greater understanding of the issue and the reasons for it.

Within the resulting report, five recommendations were identified. Education Scotland and Scottish Government officials have been working together to support the implementation of the recommendations. An online package of support, designed in collaboration with local authorities and schools, has been published.

Education Scotland are working with local authorities to improve attendance through both universal supports and through a bespoke support package using Quality Improvement Methodology. The first cohort of the ‘Improving Attendance Quality Improvement Programme’ will run from October to January.

Our commitment to delivering these recommendations is set out in ‘The National Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour: 2024 – 2027 (The Joint Action Plan, 2024)’. This includes actions to review and revise national guidance on attendance This will enable refreshed guidance to be produced.

In recognition of the challenge of persistent absence, HM Chief Inspector for Education has also been asked with addressing this during school inspections and to identify successful approaches which can be shared more widely.

The Scottish Government wants all children and young people to get the support that they need to reach their full learning potential and to do so it is important that pupils not only attend school but that they engage in their learning.

The Scottish Government is clear that parents and carers have a role to play in supporting young people to attend school. We recognise that parents have a legal duty to ensure that their child attends school. Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1, our national guidance on attendance, encourages education authorities and schools to engage with children, young people and families to support improved attendance and reduce absence. We know engagement with children, young people and families to understand and address barriers to regular attendance is the most effective way of addressing this issue.

The Scottish Government has been working intensely to address concerns about the impact of the pandemic on attendance. Education Scotland are working to deliver enhanced support for schools and local authorities in monitoring and tracking absence, to develop policy at school and local authority level to support improvements in attendance, and to provide practical support for local authorities who need it. The Scottish Government has also strengthened our understanding of the issue, through increased analysis of attendance data, such as the data on persistent absence published in March 2024. The Interim Chief Inspector has been tasked with ensuring persistent absence is addressed in every school inspection, and identifying successful approaches which can be shared more widely.

We are considering the findings on attendance within the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research and Education Scotland’s report ‘Improving Attendance: Understanding the Issues,” as part of the joint Scottish Government and COSLA action plan on relationships and behaviour, which published on 15 August.

The information requested on how many midwives are currently employed on permanent contracts, broken down by NHS board can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (Employment over time tab, contract type drop-down).

We have made a commitment, under the Nurture strand of the National Workforce Strategy to support leadership and talent management across NHS Scotland. We know that succession planning for senior roles is an urgent priority to ensure the continuity of service delivery and reform – and that we need to ensure we are also developing our pipeline of future leaders. We further emphasised the importance of this with the publication of Improving Wellbeing and Working Cultures in July, which set out our ambition to enhance working cultures through programmes of work that focus on the pillars of: wellbeing, leadership and equality.

As we face one of the most challenging financial circumstances since devolution, we are focussed on taking forward affordable actions that will have the biggest impact on progressing our priorities. Leadership learning and development will be delivered both nationally and locally, as appropriate, supported by the sharing of good practice and guidance across organisational boundaries. This will ensure that we continue to make appropriate savings while utilising the best of the resources we have to maintain high quality leadership in our NHS.

We continue support leadership and talent development at all leadership levels, delivered nationally by NHS Education for Scotland. This includes onboarding support for new NHS Chief Executives, including executive coaching, mentoring and peer learning opportunities, as well as support for identified aspiring chief executives.

We have looked to ensure best value for money from interventions supporting senior systems leaders, and are launching adaptive learning sets, utilising skilled inhouse staff to facilitate cross system peer learning. We have a range of free to access digital tools and resources that can be used by staff at any leadership level, including senior administrators, to support their personal leadership development.

We are continually reviewing our leadership learning and talent development offerings for leaders, to ensure that we both deliver on the need to make the best value of public money, while still ensuring that critical skills of leadership are continually supported and developed.

Recruitment is a matter for the employing Health Boards, and the Scottish Government has no direct role in newly qualified nurse recruitment plans and processes. However, officials have been engaging with Health Boards and it is our understanding that Boards remain committed to maximising the opportunities for newly qualified nurses to find employment.

When a Health Board is unable to offer roles, they will often retain applications on file should future vacancies arise. Where a student who is ready to graduate cannot find employment with a local Health Board, I am aware that universities provide support and career guidance to assist students in the consideration of all employment opportunities within health and social care.