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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-37483

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a new alcohol strategy, and, if so, what the timescale is for its delivery.

Question reference: S6W-37481

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what further action it will take to increase access to alcohol detoxification services.

The Scottish Government fully recognises the need for improved access to detoxification services. This is an issue we are keen to see addressed through our strategy. Improving access to effective detoxification services is essential to ensure people can access help to reduce or stop drinking safely, avoiding acute withdrawal.

We are seeing more residential rehabilitation providers being able to offer in-house detox to prepare people for rehabilitation.

We are working with providers and other partners to discuss a wider set of residential harm reduction support – this includes stabilisation, crisis care, detox and long-term care for issues such as alcohol-related brain damage.

Our forthcoming National Specification for alcohol services will emphasise the requirement to provide a full range of services, including detox.

Question reference: S6W-37482

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to establish alcohol care teams in acute hospital settings.

The Scottish Government is constantly working to ensure that local services fully assess local needs to identify unmet need. Some hospitals run alcohol care teams already but there is a need for wider coverage .

This approach has been shown to improve outcomes for people and so we are encouraging local areas to establish teams like these wherever appropriate.

The publication of the UK Clinical Guidelines for Alcohol Treatment later this year will provide local areas with clear guidance to ensure appropriate pathways and treatment services are available for those who need support.

Question reference: S6W-37480

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct a national needs assessment for alcohol to inform the development of strategic priorities for future recovery-oriented treatment, care and support provision.

The Scottish Government has no specific plans to carry out a national alcohol needs assessment at the moment, but recognises the benefits of needs assessments to help develop our strategic priories for improving care and support for people impacted by alcohol.

Local areas currently rely on their own specific needs assessments, which we encourage them to undertake. The forthcoming UK-wide clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment will also underline the benefits of local needs assessments.

We are currently engaging with partner organisations including delivery bodies and the voices of those with lived and living experience to identify actions that will help develop and deliver future recovery focused systems of care.

Question reference: S6W-37349

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the national roll-out of the NHS Scotland digital front door app.

I can confirm we will provide an update on the roll-out of the Health and Social Care app in Summer 2025 as set out in our Operational Improvement Plan, as well as in the answer to question S6W-35982 on 28 March 2025.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S6W-37393

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what contracts have been awarded in the development of the NHS Scotland app.

Delivery responsibility for the online app for health and social care sits with NHS Education for Scotland (NES), who have been commissioned by the Scottish Government to lead on the overall Digital Front Door Programme. To date, NES have awarded two contracts to the global technology and software engineering consultancy firm BJSS. The first contract, which has now ended, was to assist on the development of the Outline Business Case. The second, which has just been signed, is to assist in the technical development work required for December’s launch of the initial version of online app, as well as further technical work as required for the subsequent roll out from 2026.

Question reference: S6O-04692

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent action it has taken to improve the prevention and monitoring of malnutrition and dehydration.

Question reference: S6W-36797

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that all NHS boards have met the implementation date for the Pathway of Maternity Care clinical guidance.

In February the Scottish Government published the new Pathway of Maternity Care Clinical Guidance and Schedule, which describes the core care that women and their babies should receive. The Pathway supports the Best Start ethos of maternity care, which emphasises a 'whole-person', individualised care approach which takes account of women’s specific needs and circumstances.

We have instructed NHS Health Boards to align their services with the Pathway by April 2025. NHS Boards will be asked to report the status of implementation of the Pathway in their area as part of a national maternity services monitoring framework which will be issued shortly.

Question reference: S6W-36798

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the implementation of the miscarriage framework, and what action it is taking to ensure that all NHS boards will be able to facilitate the pathways outlined.

The Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland has 34 actions/deliverables. Actions have been prioritised for implementation effective from 1 April 2025, with immediate action expected to be delivered in the first 6 months, short term in the first fifteen months and medium term within two years. NHS Boards will be asked to report on their progress towards implementation, aligned to the above timescales. The Scottish Government announced funding of £1.5 million in the financial year 2025-2026 to help Boards implement the Framework.

To further assist NHS Boards with implementation the Scottish Government published a national progesterone pathway, extensively updated the miscarriage information available on NHS inform and published information leaflets for women and their partners.

Question reference: S6W-36795

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish any data received to date from the ongoing Fracture Liaison Service audit.