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The Scottish Government regularly engages with businesses across Scotland, including from the Lothians.

Businesses in Lothian will benefit from a range of Scottish Government rate policies, including the decision to match the English poundage rate and cut the current rate by 3.7%; increasing the threshold at which the large business supplement becomes payable; expanding the small business bonus scheme threshold for 100% relief from £10,000 to £15,000 and capping the bill rises for hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafes at 12.5% this year.

Where businesses disagree with the independent Assessors determination of the rateable value of their premises an independent appeal system exists for them to challenge this.

The Scottish Molecular Pathology Evaluation Panel provided an advice note in Oncotype DX in January 2016 which states that, “should a clinician consider that the molecular pathology test would assist in a decision on case management for a patient within the indication specified then the test should be undertaken”.

NHS Boards are responsible for providing services to meet the assessed needs of their resident populations taking into account relevant frameworks and guidance and within their annual allocations.

It is for NHS Boards to plan and deliver clinical services and ensure that they have appropriate staff in place to meet the needs of their services and ensure high quality patient care. As part of this, we expect NHS Boards to have robust workforce plans and recruitment and retention policies in place which take account of district nursing vacancies and retirements.

To make sure our NHS has the right skills mix, we will introduce national and regional workforce planning. On 1 February 2017 we launched the National Health and Social Care Workforce Planning Discussion Document. We are inviting responses to this consultation by 28 March 2017. The Discussion Document will inform the National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan, which will be published in Spring 2017. The consultation is available at the following link:-

https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/health-workforce/national-health-and-social-care-workforce-plan/

In recognition of the flexibilities that differing retirement ages will bring, the NHSScotland Working Longer Group has been working on a number of tools and products which will help employers in Scotland profile their workforce by age at all levels and embed discussions about retirement plans within the yearly appraisal process.

In addition the Scottish Government will increase student nursing and midwifery intakes for 2017-18 by 4.7%, the fifth successive rise, bringing us a step closer to delivering our commitment to create 1,000 extra nursing and midwifery training places over the course of this Parliament. The increase is part of an overall package of measures to support and strengthen our nursing and midwifery workforce.

This information is not held centrally.

Information on the number of Psychiatrists employed by NHSScotland Health Boards in each year since 2003 is published by ISD Scotland and can be found at the following link:

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2016-12-06/Medical_Trend_S2016.xls

ISD also publish “Psychology Services Workforce in NHSScotland: Workforce Information” which can be found here (last updated 31 March 2016):

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2016-06-07/2016-06-07-Psychology-Workforce-Tables.xls

Although the mitigation of congestion on local roads within Edinburgh is a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council, the Scottish Government recognises the important contribution that Edinburgh makes to the economy of Scotland. With this in mind, Transport Scotland is currently working with regional and local planning and transport authorities, including City of Edinburgh Council, to undertake a cross boundary multi-modal transport study.

This will assess the impact of current and projected future travel demand on the strategic transport network in the South East of Scotland. It will also assist in identifying options for infrastructure and for other measures which can be considered to improve transport in the Edinburgh area.

The Scottish Government is familiar with the content of recent studies. The Scottish Government recognises the important role that Edinburgh and its region plays in the economy of Scotland. As such, Transport Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government, is currently working with regional and local planning and transport authorities to undertake a cross boundary multi-modal transport study to assess the impact of current and projected future travel demand on the strategic transport network in the South East of Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to equality and diversity, and that commitment extends to ensuring that these values are fully respected by, and reflected in the operation of NHSScotland. This includes the recruitment of all staff, including the recruitment of health visitors.

We are committed to attracting a diverse range of individuals into nursing careers, including health visiting. NHS Education for Scotland (NES) continues to work with NHS boards and universities to develop resources that promote positive messages of nursing, for both men and women and to widening participation in nursing education. We continue to monitor equality and diversity nationally for all students on nursing and health visiting programmes and this monitoring includes gender.

We are engaging with stakeholders to develop a 2030 Vision for Nursing in Scotland. One of the themes being explored is modernising the public image of nursing to ensure that it is an attractive career choice for all genders and individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our nationally agreed Partnership Information Network (PIN) policy “Embracing Equality, Diversity and Human Rights” was published in December 2013. The policy is available at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2013/12/3747.

The Scottish Government expects NHS boards to have well-structured transition arrangements in place, which meet the needs of their local population, regardless of where in Scotland the young person lives, as outlined in Better Health, Better Care: Hospital Services for Young People in Scotland published on 5 May 2009.

Additionally, The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 contains duties and provisions in relation to developing and delivering statutory Child’s Plans. Guidance will be developed to support transition throughout the life course within and between services for children that require a Childs Plan. It is good practice for the Child’s Plan to proactively plan for transition and the management of transition. Health boards and partners will be required to develop policies, procedures and practice to meet the duties and provisions prior to them coming into force.

The National Clinical Strategy sets out why the NHS in Scotland needs to adapt in the face of increasing and changing demand, along with significant constraints in terms of workforce and finances. The strategy sits alongside the Health and Social Care Integration and GIRFEC to ensure that there is a comprehensive approach to both improving the health of the population, and the healthcare available.

Its foundation is to provide care as locally as possible through a whole-team, community-based approach which is vital to the future of the NHS, allowing people to continue to be treated close to home, or in their home, in the majority of cases.

SIGN guidelines are distributed within the NHS in Scotland via a network of Guideline Distribution Coordinators in each NHS board. Implementation is the responsibility of each individual NHS board and local ownership of the implementation process is crucial to success in changing practice.

It is not possible to answer, from centrally held information, whether SIGN guidance has directly led to a change in venous thromboembolism (VTE) incidence, the collective name for Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE).