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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.

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Question reference: S6W-24558

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcomes have been of its £270,000 of funding for the provision of prehabilitation through the eight Maggie’s Centres across Scotland; how many patients have been supported with prehabilitation to date; whether it will provide a breakdown of the different types of cancers that the centres have dealt with, and, in the event that a patient cannot access a Maggie’s Centre, what provision is in place to ensure that there is equity of care across Scotland.

A report detailing the impact of the initial pilot by Maggie’s can be found here .

From November 2021 to December 2023, 2494 people affected by cancer have been supported via Maggie’s.

During the initial pilot phase, people with 34 different cancer types, including those with multiple cancers, attended the prehabilitation workshops. 59% of attendees were people affected by prostate and bowel cancers. The trend is similar in the period from April to December 2023, however those affected by breast and lung cancers make up a larger percentage of attendees than in the pilot phase.

77% of those providing feedback said the prehabilitation workshops delivered by Maggie’s had a positive impact on their health engagement. In addition, more than 90% said they felt better able to make positive changes to their physical activity, emotional well-being, and diet/nutrition.

The prehabilitation website referred to in response to question S6W-24556 on
‎ 25 January 2024 is available to those who prefer to source information online, and a Scottish Health Technology Assessment is in progress to help Scottish Government understand the potential for digital solutions to delivering prehabilitation. Finally, in collaboration with NHS Education Scotland, a training plan is in development that will support national scale up of the Maggie’s workshops via other willing providers.

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/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-24562

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made regarding whether prehabilitation improves oncological outcomes for patients, in light of its Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023-2026, which emphasises the benefits of prehabilitation.

The evidence for prehabilitation across several areas of oncological care has grown and demonstrates that a multi-modal tired intervention can lead to better functional outcomes and improve other important outcomes associated with cancer treatment including quality of life.

Focus groups with people affected by cancer, evaluations of prehabilitation activities, and evidence collated by others working with people with lived experience of cancer, also tells us that prehabilitation is welcomed by the Scottish population and provides an opportunity for them to engage in their care.

Question reference: S6W-24559

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to improve access to prehabilitation for less survivable cancers, especially in areas of deprivation.

Cancer remains a national priority for the NHS and Scottish Government which is why we published a ten year strategy in June 2023, focused on improving cancer survival and providing equitable access to treatment. The strategy and plan take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways in cancer from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.

The evidence base for prehabilitation specifically for each of the less survivable cancers is currently limited. Work is underway to improve this, particularly with respect to upper gastrointestinal and lung cancers. Learnings from the prehabilitation currently being delivered under the Transforming Cancer Care Programme in association with our findings from the Single Point of Contact and Improving the Cancer Journey initiatives will provide opportunities to target areas of deprivation with early interventions. As such, efforts are being made to exploit these opportunities and progress screening, assessment and timely prehabilitation interventions across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-24560

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of its Scottish Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2026, how much funding has been committed specifically to prehabilitation, and when it will be allocated to NHS boards.

Up to £1 million was allocated in 2023 for prehabilitation to NHS boards via the Transforming Cancer Care programme. This has been distributed via the Regional Cancer Networks through regionally agreed prioritisation processes.

£80,000 was allocated to Maggie’s in 2023 to embed their pilot of universal prehabilitation at all eight Maggie’s Centres in Scotland, building on our previous investment to develop this programme of £270,000 in 2021.

Question reference: S6W-24556

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to urgently provide equitable access to prehabilitation, especially for patients with a less survivable cancer.

The Cancer Action Plan 2023-2026 sets out our ambitious programme of work to ensure access to cancer prehabilitation.

The Scottish Government is working with experts across health and social care to ensure timely access to all services providing the multi-modal, tiered and personalised interventions that make up prehabilitation. This includes developing the frameworks to screen, assess and signpost people affected by cancer to the relevant services as soon as possible. A national website has been created in partnership with those with lived experience to provide universal and accessible information and advice. A new primary care cancer education platform for NHS Scotland that will feature prehabilitation advice will also go live early 2024 to enable effective decision-making and support earlier diagnosis efforts.

Prehabilitation is a key part of the Optimal Cancer Diagnostic Pathways and Clinical Management Pathways (CMPs) that have been developed for Lung Cancer and the CMP for Adult Brain Cancers, also in development. The Scottish Government has also provided £350,000 to develop and implement universal prehabilitation workshops for the Maggie’s Centres. Further funding has been allocated to support each board area to adopt the nationally provided tools to reinforce care pathways, directly benefiting those affected by cancer, including less survivable cancers.

Question reference: S6W-24557

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that patients who require targeted and specialised prehabilitation, as stated in its report, Key Principles for Implementing Cancer Prehabilitation, are accessing prehabilitation, and what the outcomes are for these patients.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery is leading improvement and pathway redesign work via their Macmillan National Improvement Advisor for Cancer Prehabilitation. This will see core outcome measures agreed for use across Scotland, and introduce processes for data collection and reporting.

Some targeted and specialised prehabilitation has been developed within NHS settings and further services are being developed with funding from the Macmillan and Scottish Government’s Transforming Cancer Care programme to ensure people can access the right care in the right place at the right time.

Question reference: S6W-24561

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to monitor equity of access to prehabilitation for cancer patients (a) nationally and (b) in comparison to other UK nations, and at what intervals the figures will be published.

Cancer prehabilitation is a complex, multi-modal intervention and personalised to suit individual need. It is not achieved through accessing a single service, nor is it likely to be delivered in a single setting. As such, no single mechanism or metric has been identified for measuring equity of access across Scotland, the UK or internationally. Instead proxy measured are used, such as numbers referred to a specific service/intervention and uptake and/or adherence.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery is leading improvement work that will define core outcome measures for cancer prehabilitation in Scotland, and where possible this will include activity data.

Question reference: S6O-02996

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support will be made available to farmers in 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-23718

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address the lack of services for children and young people with ME, as highlighted in the report, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Services in Scotland: Findings from an analysis of surveys issued to NHS Boards in Autumn 2022, published in May 2023, in which no services for children and young people were identified in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-23717

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address the gaps in service provision for people with ME, as identified in the report, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Services in Scotland: Findings from an analysis of surveys issued to NHS Boards in Autumn 2022, published in May 2023.

Our published analysis of health board data on ME/CFS care has established a clearer picture of the variation in service provision around Scotland.

We are considering these findings in identifying areas where there is the potential to further explore or support aspects of service development, and the resource required to do this.

In doing so, we are seeking to ensure that learning from the introduction of models of care for Long COVID is used to benefit the management of other long-term and complex conditions, including ME/CFS, where appropriate.