Chamber and committees

The Implementation Plan sets out our commitment to ensure the voice of people with care experience is at the heart of the work we do to Keep The Promise and we welcome all opportunities to engage. We will continue to work with local government, local Champions Boards, Who Cares? Scotland, The Promise Scotland and other partners to ensure that our approach to engagement is positive and impactful.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) has taken a number of steps to ensure all staff are aware of, informed about and trained in trauma-informed practice and principles. The organisation has:

1. Signed up to the National Trauma Training Programme’s (NTTP) Leadership Pledge of Support, demonstrating their commitment to:

The National Trauma Training Programme (NTTP) consists of a range of training resources, including a framework which details the knowledge and skills required at each of the four practice levels. This Framework was created in part to enable organisations to deliver their own training or identify suitable training providers. As such, there will be a wide range of NTTP-aligned training that has been delivered to many members of the workforce that we do not hold central information about.

Training delivered by NES (NHS Education for Scotland) central team and the Transforming Psychological Trauma Implementation Coordinators (TPTICs) is recorded. Two different processes are used for monitoring and recording information about numbers accessing training, as set out below:

1) Monitoring and recording processes for face-to-face or screen-to-screen training across all four levels (informed, skilled, enhanced and specialist levels)

All information about face-to-face and screen-to-screen training at any level delivered by TPTICs and the central team is recorded by the TPTIC or central team member via an MS form. This includes information about the type and level of training, by whom and where it was delivered, duration, the number of people attending and their area of work. Because of the multi-agency focus of the NTTP, many of the training sessions bring together professionals working across various organisations and agencies. Reporting focuses on broader numbers and areas of work of attendees (whether justice, health, education, etc.), rather than by organisation, and as such does not differentiate between NHS and other public sector workers.

This information is collated centrally, and numbers of staff trained at each of the four levels are reported quarterly for performance tracking purposes.

2) Monitoring and recording of delivery of online training resources across Informed and skilled levels.

Informed (Level 1)

At the Informed level, the use of NTTP animations Opening Doors and Sowing Seeds, and the recorded workshops that accompany them are monitored through the number of views as indicated on the Vimeo platform. The numbers of views of the animations and workshops, and registrations for the workshops notes and tools are measured on a monthly basis.

This information is collated centrally, and numbers of staff accessing each of the informed training resources are reported quarterly for performance tracking purposes.

A key focus of developing the informed, online resources has been on making them easy to access. The animations and recorded workshops are freely available, meaning people accessing them do not need to supply their email address or employer. Likewise, the training resource for the Informed level will have been shown at in-person/online events, and uploaded to/ watched through various platforms, so it is not possible to capture exact numbers and details as to who has accessed this resource and whether they work for the NHS, another public sector organisation or elsewhere.

Skilled (Level 2)

Four modules to support Skilled practice training are provided on NHS Education for Scotland's Turas platform. To access these modules, it is necessary to have a Turas account.

The number of staff completing each of the four skilled workshops is collected from the Turas system on a monthly basis. This information is collated centrally, and numbers of staff completing each of the skilled modules are reported quarterly for performance tracking purposes.

In addition, Turas can provide further information about registered users who have accessed the modules. Two data sources are used by NES to monitor who has a Turas account. First, any individual can register for Turas and upon registration, and they may provide details of their sector, professional role and organisation. Second, richer data is available for the majority of NHS Scotland staff where Turas draws data from workforce information systems – these provide an accurate and up to date information about job role, department and organisation.

Enhanced (Level 3) and Specialist (Level 4)

There are no online training resources at the Enhanced and Specialist level, as this is intensive skills-based training which is delivered face-to-face/screen-to-screen.

The Scottish Government’s ambition, shared with COSLA, is for a trauma-informed and trauma-responsive workforce and services across Scotland. We want anyone who has been affected by trauma in Scotland to be supported by trauma-informed services that are built on safe and trusted relationships, which support recovery and do not cause any further harm or re-traumatisation.

Over £6million has been invested in a National Trauma Training Programme since 2018, including £3.2 million which has been distributed to all local areas to further develop and embed trauma informed approaches. Support for training and implementation, across all sectors of the workforce, is provided by a team of Transforming Psychological Trauma Implementation Co-Ordinators (TPTICs). In 2021, a network of ‘Trauma Champions’ was also established, this includes senior leaders from across local authorities, health boards and key community planning partners who work collaboratively to influence change across local areas. The Trauma Champions network is supported by the Improvement Service.

The Scottish Government do not make any specific assessment about the training of staff in trauma-informed practice before awarding funding to an organisation. Work is currently underway to develop a Quality Improvement Framework, due for publication in Spring 2023, which will further support any organisation to track their own progress in developing and embedding trauma-informed approaches.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) is the health body for the provision of evidence-based advice, guidance and standards for health and care professionals to provide safer, more effective care. HIS carry out their statutory duties according to the Operating Framework which is the primary accountability and governance document between Scottish Government and HIS – you can find the full Operating Framework at https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/previous_resources/policy_and_strategy/sg_his_operating_framework.aspx

The Framework sets out the ongoing relationship between the Scottish Government and HIS, guidance on performance management (including the Annual Review process) and the lines of accountability from HIS to the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and the public.

In addition, HIS are taking a number of steps towards becoming a trauma-informed organisation. For further detail, I refer the member to the answer to question

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13189 on
‎ 5 January 2023. 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/questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government welcomed the Commissioner’s progress report in May. The Scottish Government published its Improvement Plan 2022-23 in July setting out the actions we are taking to address each of the areas where the Commissioner identified a need for further improvement – including in relation to records management in request handling. The Government continues to work on standardising its records management practice and engagement with all staff is ongoing to ensure compliance with appropriate legislation and guidance.

The service continuity plan for the Ardrossan-Brodick/Campbeltown route is currently being developed by CalMac which will include a revised temporary ferry timetable between Troon and Brodick and a shuttle bus service between Troon Harbour, Troon Rail Station and Ardrossan. Timetable options were shared with the Isle of Arran Ferry Committee and wider communities as part of a public consultation exercise undertaken in August and September 2022. CalMac are reviewing the feedback with a report expected to be published in the coming weeks. The revised temporary Troon timetable is expected to be finalised in the new year, to ensure continuity of service for passengers.

CalMac is making good progress in relation to recruitment, in line with expectations for staffing both vessels.