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The Chief Executive of each board is ultimately responsible for all aspects of the performance of the board.

It is up to each NHS board to determine how to fund case finding. The rationale for eliminating hepatitis C is clear both in terms of the benefit to patients and the saving of future costs associated with the consequences of advanced hepatitis C.

In April 2019, Scottish Government wrote to NHS Boards asking them to work with Information Services Division (ISD) to deliver an individual patient-level core dataset – the Child Adolescent and Psychological Therapy National Dataset (CAPTND).

Scottish Government recognises that some of the current systems used by Boards to record Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Psychological Therapies activity require significant improvement. While these improvements take place, NHS Boards have been asked to deliver a subset of 15 of the core variables as a minimum. Type of diagnosis will be recorded in the final core dataset, although not in the minimum dataset.

The first data transfer (for the minimum dataset) from NHS Boards to ISD is expected at the end of September. Once each Board and ISD are content with the quality of individual level data, the aggregate collection will be discontinued for that Board. The dataset will then form the basis of the official statistics on mental health waiting times, produced by ISD. NHS Boards are currently working with ISD to agree a timeframe for moving from the minimum to core dataset.

If NHS boards do not meet their hepatitis C treatment targets, there is a risk that Scotland as a whole will not reach the 2024 elimination target. Scottish Government officials are monitoring progress towards treatment targets in order to identify and address boards that may be at risk of failing to meet their targets.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing digital participation and ensuring that all of Scotland is able to enjoy the social, cultural and economic benefits of the internet. Home internet access has increased steadily over time, reaching an all-time high of 87 per cent of households in 2018. For those unable to access the internet at home, all of Scotland’s libraries provide free wi-fi access.

Community pharmacies are independent contractors which provide NHS services, and each one is responsible for its own day-to-day operational processes taking into account their business model. While some pharmacies will deliver prescribed medicines to patients’ homes, this is not provided as an NHS service and they offer the service at their own cost. Some may therefore choose to apply a charge for their home delivery services.

We are working with chronic pain services across the whole patient pathway to ensure that people can receive appropriate and timely treatment and care. This will cover all services across primary and secondary care, including specialist chronic pain clinics, with a view to developing sustainable services.

Under the Waiting Times Improvement Plan we have made over £102 million available to Health Boards in 2019-20. These resources will help to reduce waiting times across Scotland in line with the activity agreed in Health Boards Annual Operational Plans, which will be published on Health Boards websites shortly.

The Integration Joint Boards (IJB) Chief Officers Group is currently working to build a picture of which IJBs have formally adopted the terms set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) since its agreement earlier this year.

Although this work concluded earlier this year at a national level, timescales associated with local adoption of the MOU are expected to vary depending on the existing arrangements between individual Hospices and IJBs.

As set out in the Scottish Governments Rights, Respect and Recovery strategy we continue to support Harm Prevention work on a national level; this includes the potential provision of naloxone to first responders such as the Police.

Dialogue is ongoing between the Scottish Government and Police Scotland, with the latter recently establishing a short life working group to address; along with partners, the subject of Police access and carriage.

The inspection of drug addiction services is not within the remit of Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Scottish Government did, however, commission the Care Inspectorate to review the way all 29 Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in Scotland used and applied the Scottish Government's 'Quality Principles' which set out the standard expectations of care and support in drug and alcohol treatment services. The Care Inspectorate's 2017 report, 'Alcohol and Drug partnerships - A report on the use and impact of the Quality Principles through validated self-assessment', can be found here - https://www.careinspectorate.com/images/documents/3850/Alcohol%20and%20Drug%20Partnerships%20-%20use%20and%20impact%20of%20the%20Quality%20Principles.pdf .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-25421 on  26 September 2019. 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 .