Seòmar agus comataidhean

This information is not held centrally. It may be available on request from local authorities.

In Scotland, testing is carried out both by NHS Scotland and as part of the UK Government’s drive-through and mobile testing facilities.

Through NHS laboratories, our expectation is that test results should normally be communicated back within 24 hours, though some may take up to 48 hours.

Currently, the average total turnaround time in local health board is just over 19 hours. Where tests are sent to another health board for processing, the total turnaround time is just over 44 hours. We are continuing to work with NHS National Services Scotland to secure reliable data on turnaround times to provide a baseline to report against on a weekly basis.

For testing carried out by the UK Government, the vast majority of test results are sent automatically within 48 hours, or 72 hours for home tests. As at 10 June, turnaround times for tests sent to the Lighthouse labs was 99.4% in 48 hours.

Work continues across all labs to reduce the turn around time for PCR test to as low as possible.

The next phase of our testing strategy, Test and Protect, is now live. This involves tracing the close contacts of those who test positive for Covid-19. These close contacts will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days and the Scottish Government will ensure the necessary support is provided to those self-isolating.

Contact tracing will start with the highest priority people already being tested such as hospital patients and health and social care workers. Coverage will be quickly expanded as we continue to increase testing and tracing capacity.

It is important to note that Test and Protect is not a silver bullet. We must continue to view testing alongside other crucial public health measures such as physical distancing, and good respiratory and hand hygiene.

The development of a new vaccine for COVID-19 is an urgent international challenge. The Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office has regular contact with equivalents in the other UK health departments as part of UK wide coordination of COVID-19-related research, and has been updated as part of this contact on the establishment of a Vaccines Taskforce to support UK efforts to rapidly develop a coronavirus vaccine. The first such trial opened in Scotland in late May with sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The CSO funded NHS research infrastructure is available to support vaccine studies as and when they are at the appropriate stage of development.

The Oxford led COV-002 vaccine trial “A phase 2/3 study to determine the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of the candidate Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19” is currently recruiting in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Reported recruitment as of this morning is 629 (324 Edinburgh and 305 Glasgow).

CSO are in active discussions with NIHR at a UK level regarding a further number of potential studies which may be placed in the UK.

NHS labs are operating in all 14 health board areas and additional capacity is provided by the University of Edinburgh, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, the University of Aberdeen and, as part of the UK Expanded Testing programme, the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab. Labs at Moredun and Scotland’s Rural College are expected to go live by the end of June. National Services Scotland are engaging with other Scottish University labs and their respective health boards.

National Services Scotland are continually assessing offers of laboratory space from various sectors in Scotland. This requires ensuring that testing is done in a way that is safe and meets high quality standards for confidence in the results and complies with due diligence. National Services Scotland are working with Enterprise Scotland to engage with private laboratories that have offered assistance.

The data and methodology used in Exercise Silver Swan was provided by Public Health England and adapted by Health Protection Scotland for use in Scotland. That health protection function has now been integrated into the new Special Health Board, Public Health Scotland. We do not have access to a full breakdown of data, and therefore will be unable to publish it in SPICe.

We continue to work closely with all parts of the UK to ensure we all benefit from mutual co-operation on procurement and distribution. The Scottish Government has its own supply, procurement and logistics arrangements in place working with manufacturers in Scotland and globally to ensure we have adequate supplies and this will continue, in the event of a second wave of COVID-19.

Through their commissioning arrangements, health and social care partnerships have well established relationships with independent and third sector providers, involving them in local contingency planning and response, as appropriate. Such providers should have robust business continuity plans.

To assist in planning for, and responding to Covid-19, Scottish Government and COSLA involve representatives of private and third sector care providers in a range of fora including weekly meetings of the National Contingency Planning Group.

Health and Social Care Partnerships developed local mobilisation plans in response to the COVID-19 emergency. These plans, which are generally aligned with emergency planning arrangements of local councils and NHS Boards, identify key risks and challenges posed by COVID, including those in the social care sector, and outline appropriate responses to ensure that vulnerable people are protected. An initial £50 million to help the social care sector deal with the financial implications of coronavirus (COVID-19) and linked to these plans was confirmed on 12 May.

I met with Donald Macaskill of Scottish Care on a number of occasions during the pandemic to understand the perspectives of independent providers and continues to hold regular discussions with him.

The Scottish Government has established a Care Home Rapid Action Group, which includes representation from COSLA and Scottish Care. This is a national group set up to monitor developments in the care home sector, reacting swiftly to developing issues and coordinating our wider package of support to the sector.

Scottish Government fund a consultant based in Scottish Care to assist initially in supporting care providers to develop their resilience in anticipation of EU exit and who is now actively involved in supporting the provision of PPE to the sector.

The principles of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 should be given effect to in any intervention in the affairs of an adult lacking capacity. One of these principles is that the views of interested parties should be taken account of when determining if an intervention is to be made and what intervention is to be made. This includes those who are acting as power of attorney.

Our Integrated Adult Policy on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) makes clear that if a patient does not have capacity to make a decision related to CPR, then the principles of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 apply. Where CPR might be successful in achieving sustainable life, a decision about whether the benefit of CPR would outweigh the harms and burdens for that patient must be discussed and agreed between that healthcare team and the patient's relevant others. Where there is a legally appointed proxy decision-maker (welfare attorney or welfare guardian) they must be involved in the decision-making process. Relevant information should also be shared with those close to the patient.

Our testing strategy is based on expert clinical and scientific advice, and it is kept under constant review. At this time, we are not offering testing to oil and gas workers who do not have symptoms.

Testing people who are not presenting with symptoms cannot indicate whether someone is incubating the disease, and may develop it later.