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This is a matter for Public Health Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.

Scotland’s widespread vaccination coverage and access to new Covid treatments have meant we are now in different phase of the pandemic. On 1 May, testing changed from a population-wide intervention to a targeted response, focused on reducing severe harm of the virus.

Testing remains available to specific groups in order to protect people in higher risk settings and to support clinical care. You can still access testing if:

• you work in NHS health or social care settings
• you have a health condition which means you’re eligible for new coronavirus treatments
• you're going into hospital for surgery or a procedure
• you're visiting a hospital or care home
• you're an unpaid carer
• you're applying for the self-isolation support grant

Those not eligible for testing, should follow the guidance to stay at home in order to aid recovery, and to reduce the risk of passing your illness onto others if they experience symptoms and have a fever or feel unwell. Up to date Stay at Home guidance can be found online at www.nhsinform.scot/covid19 .

LFD testing remains in place for specific population groups including unpaid carers, in order to in order to protect people in higher risk settings.

LFD tests can be ordered online through the GOV.UK portal, or by calling 119. More information can be found online at www.nhsinform.scot/covid19

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09976 on 16 August 2022. 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

This is a matter for Public Health Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.

It is not possible to provide the percentage of individuals admitted to NHS Scotland who are assessed for venous thromboembolism (VTE) as this data is not routinely recorded.

The General/Acute and Inpatient Day case Dataset (SMR01) contains records where pulmonary embolism and phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities are listed as the primary diagnosis.

These conditions are usually recorded in an inpatient setting, on the SMR01. The structure of the International Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems 10 revision (ICD10) does not allow for easy identification of Venous Thromboembolism.

The guidelines for the diagnosis of thrombosis and similar artery and vein clot conditions are provided by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), specifically SIGN 122 for the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism.

The Diagnostics in Scotland Strategic Group (DiSSG) is the national group that holds responsibility for ensuring the continued coherent development and delivery of high quality diagnostic services in Scotland. The DiSSG acts as an advisory board including providing strategic direction and advice on new diagnostic tests.

The NHS Recovery Plan commits to innovation in diagnostic procedures and an increase in capacity over the next 5 years of 90,000 procedures by 2025-26, including diagnostics of thrombosis and similar artery and vein clot conditions.

All NHS Boards in Scotland already have access to resources to support the early prevention of thrombosis-related deaths. These include SIGN 122, the national clinical guideline for the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism. The implementation of SIGN guidelines is the responsibility of NHS Boards.

The law on employment rights and duties is reserved to the UK Parliament and so the Scottish Government do not currently have the legal powers to set mandatory minimum rates of pay or a stand-alone right to take legal action to ensure this minimum hourly rate for workers providing direct adult social care, in commissioned services, is delivered.

This uplift is instead being delivered through Local Government contracts and local commissioners have delivered funding for this uplift through a contract variation process with adult social care providers. This process is a means to ensure that providers who accepted the funding for the pay uplift contractually agreed to pass on that funding to eligible workers. In the event that funding is not passed onto the workforce to uplift pay, it will be for local areas commissioning teams to engage with providers to resolve and disputes where contractual obligations are not being met.

The law on employment rights and duties is reserved to the UK Parliament and so the Scottish Government do not currently have the legal powers to set mandatory minimum rates of pay or a stand-alone right to take legal action to ensure this minimum hourly rate for workers providing direct adult social care, in commissioned services, is delivered.

This uplift is instead being delivered through Local Government contracts, and local commissioners have delivered funding for this uplift through a contract variation process with adult social care providers. This process is a means to ensure that providers who accepted the funding for the pay uplift contractually agreed to pass on that funding to eligible workers. In the event that funding is not passed onto the workforce to uplift pay, it will be for local areas commissioning teams to engage with providers to resolve any disputes where contractual obligations are not being met.

To support this, the Scottish Government and COSLA have set up mechanisms, through discussions with the Fair Work in Social Care Group, to establish and address any issues or exceptional delays in relation to delivering the funding for the uplift to providers and subsequently eligible workers.

We have regular communications with Scottish Care, the Coalition of Care and Support Providers Scotland (CCPS) and Trade Union representatives to discuss any concerns or questions around implementation of the uplift and have worked together to resolve these quickly.

We are currently working with key stakeholders to establish a webpage with details for members of the adult social care workforce to make contact with local commissioning teams directly if they are not receiving the £10.50 per hour rate so this can be investigated.