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The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22410 on 7 November 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/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government published Quality Standards for Paediatric Audiology Services (2009) and Quality Standards for Adult Hearing Rehabilitation Services (2009) which both state that patients (and their families in the case of children) should be given a copy of their ‘Individual Management Plan’ following visits to services.

It is for Health Boards to ensure that this takes place in line with the quality standards set out.

The range of experts that have been involved in the Best Start and the Options Appraisal Process represent the leading expertise on this issue and are fully competent to reach an objective decision. I have no doubt that the process of determining where the final three units should be located was independent and robust, and can see no reason to commission a further review.

Health Boards are responsible for planning services to best meet the needs of their patients.

Service planning and design should take place at a local level and be informed by an assessment of the type, and level, of support required by patients who need to access those services.

The Scottish Government published Quality Standards for Adult Hearing Rehabilitation Services in 2009 which sets out a standard for the repair being carried out within 2 days of the repair service receiving the hearing aid.

It is for NHS Boards to ensure appropriate provision of a service for the timely repair of hearing aids for patients.

Over the period 2019 to 2021, all UK nations saw an increase in the number of alcohol-specific deaths. The increase for the whole of the UK over this period was 27.4% with the increase for Scotland being 22.1%. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests, on their website, that the impact of restrictions related to COVID-19 may be a factor in the increase in alcohol-specific deaths seen across the UK.

The Scottish Government has a range of alcohol harm prevention and treatment policies and interventions intended to reduce harm. Recent research estimated our world-leading Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) policy has saved hundreds of lives, and likely averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions each year and is having an effect in our most deprived areas. We are currently consulting on the Scottish Government’s preferred position on MUP which is a continuation of the policy and, in the event of continuation, at a price of 65 pence per unit of alcohol. On support and treatment, in 2022-23, we made £106.8 million available to Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships to support local and national treatment initiatives. We have been involved in a UK-wide group on reviewing and updating clinical guidance for alcohol treatment, which is now out for consultation . We are exploring the evidence around Managed Alcohol Programmes, and we are undertaking a review of the Alcohol Brief Intervention programme to ensure the programme is as impactful as possible in Scotland.

One of the key aims of the National Mission is to improve and save lives by ensuring that every individual has access to, and choice in the type of recovery and treatment they need. In response to the Changing Lives report published by the Drug Deaths Taskforce, the Scottish Government published a Cross Government Plan which sets out examples of how we are improving alcohol and drug services to make them more flexible, convenient, accessible and easier to navigate.

For example, we are supporting local areas further develop their assertive outreach programmes both through the implementation of the MAT standards and in other ways such as the Primary Care Alcohol Nurse Outreach Service (PCANOS), which embeds specialist harm reduction services within Deep End GP practices and supports patients in engaging with and navigating treatment services.

We are also investing in residential rehabilitation to ensure people can access help when they need it and have established an Expert Group to recommend improvements for crisis management and stabilisation.

In addition, we sponsor a number of third sector organisations which offer convenient and accessible technology-based help, advice and treatment for people with problematic drinking, for example, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs and We Are With You, who also provide a live web chat services which have improved engagement for many people.

We are also supporting the UK Government in developing the clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment, which were published for public consultation on 16 October 2023. The guidelines encourage more flexible and convenient interventions by using digital technologies when appropriate.