Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government supports the World Health Organizations strategy to accelerate the elimination of Cervical Cancer.

On 17 November 2020, two Scottish Government buildings, St Andrews House and Victoria Quay, were lit up in support of this cause.

We will continue to take steps towards achieving the strategy’s aims, with uptake of our HPV vaccination programme already high, it achieves 85.4% for both doses, and exceeds 90% for the first dose by the end of S3 in secondary schools. A recent study in the BMJ showed that the levels of cancer-causing HPV in Scotland had dropped by almost 90% in young women, demonstrating the significant and continued benefits of our vaccination programme.

Additionally, in March we introduced HPV testing as our primary test for cervical cancer – the test is offered to all women aged 25-64.

The Scottish Government raised awareness of World COPD Day through our social media channels and key stakeholder networks.

COPD is a priority for the Scottish Government and we are committed to ensuring that those people living with long term lung conditions are able to access the best possible person-centred care treatment and support.

Our Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland will set out the main priorities to support the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions including COPD.

The NHS Louisa Jordan was established to help ensure NHS Scotland had extra capacity to treat patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and stood ready to do so since 20 April 2020. Building the NHS Louisa Jordan was a precautionary action and I was always clear that I hoped it would never be needed to treat a COVID patient. The NHS Louisa Jordan has not been required to treat COVID-19 patients because of efforts made to suppress the virus. If required, the hospital continues to remain ready to accept COVID-19 patients at a few days’ notice.

180,784 participants had their cervical screening test delayed due to the pause of the screening programmes in 2020 of which (a) 29,362 have attended for a test and (b) 99,716 have yet to receive their invitation for a screening appointment. These figures include women who receive more frequent screening appointments, who were first to receive their invitations to cervical screening following the restart.

The new five level framework for COVID 19 allows for rapid but proportionate response on both a local and national basis using a transparent range of measures and options. https://www.gov.scot/publications/covid-19-scotlands-strategic-framework/ A summary of this publication is available in BSL, Mandarin, Gaelic, Arabic, and Polish, as well as Easy Read and audio versions .

We encourage people to adapt this advice to make it right for them. It is a personal decision how to balance the benefits of protection with quality of life. To do this in practice, people told us they needed information about infection rates in local communities, level of risk specific to their health conditions, and how to manage risks on a day to day basis.

We are therefore providing information, advice and tools to enable and empower those who are clinically most at risk to make decisions about their day to day interactions and activities including:

• Data on neighbourhood infection levels
• Advice on specific clinical conditions
• Information on high and low risk activities
• Workplace risk assessments
• Information on how to shop and undertake other activities safely

Various methods used to make as many people as possible aware of the guidance and support available to them.

• The Scot.gov website contains the most up to date information and is highlighted in written communication from the Chief Medical Officer to those on the shielding list. Information is regularly.

• The Public Health Scotland website also provides a detailed cases by local neighbourhood map of areas that allow people to check in on the number of cases in their area.

• People are directed to the website and other support by means of television and radio adverts. We also suggest that people watch the daily briefings of the First Minister to keep up to date with developments

• We ask that people keep checking the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/covid-shielding/ and https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-what-you-can-and-cannot-do/pages/healthcare/ for the most up to date information.
• People can call the national helpline on 0800 111 4000. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.

• National mailings, sent via Royal Mail, are sent in one format but we signpost additional languages/formats which are available within it. As part of this information a QR code was supplied to make for easier access to these formats

• For example, several areas of key information and guidance are available in an accessible format for the visually impaired.

• We are also working with stakeholders to signpost and disseminate this information within their communities, to ensure that individuals with language or communication requirements are aware that there is guidance available in a format they can access.

Safety of staff in schools is paramount. Teachers are entitled to feel safe at work and we expect schools and local authorities to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place for them.

Our latest guidance on reducing coronavirus (COVID-19) risks in schools, published on 30 th October, says schools and local authorities should follow the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists advice to try to keep the risk of exposure as low as is practically possible to pregnant women, particularly in the third trimester. Normal pregnancy risk assessments should also be undertaken, and appropriate attention paid to mental health and wellbeing.

We are working with local authorities to keep implementation of the guidance under review, and where there is a need to take further action, we will work with staff, trade unions and local authorities to do so.

COVID-19 transmission is taking place in the community and – as is the case with any infectious disease – transmission is more likely where people are in closed settings, including within hospitals. As a result, we are seeing a rise of definite hospital onset cases.

Health Boards, supported by expert advice from the COVID-19 Nosocomial Review Group (CNRG) established by the Scottish Government in May, are implementing a range of measures to minimise the risk of coronavirus transmission in hospitals. Based on the latest infection prevention and control guidance from National Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland, these measures include:

- the appropriate use of PPE,

- extended use of face masks and coverings

- physical distancing,

- outbreak management,

- risk assessed patient care pathways to help guide the implementation of measures for safe and effective care, and

- staff and patient testing

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we have and continue to work hard to ensure IPC measures in hospital and other care settings are robust.

The Scottish Government recognises that pulmonary rehabilitation is an important element of respiratory disease care and that is why it will form an important part of our Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland.

As we head into winter, our overriding priority is to keep people safe, including in their homes and in healthcare settings. The NHS remains open with public health measures in place to protect patients and staff.

In terms of accessing pulmonary rehabilitation at this time, the My COPD app contains a pulmonary rehabilitation section and many charities provide support to people living with long-term lung conditions. For example, the British Lung Foundation provides exercise videos designed for people living with COPD.

We advise anyone who has any concerns regarding their COPD to contact their GP or clinical team. They will be best placed to provide specific advice and support based on individual circumstances.

We are actively engaging with cancer charities across Scotland, with many involved in discussions regarding shielding and the drafting of the upcoming National Cancer Recover Plan. Alongside this, various charities are a member of the Scottish Screening Committee and the National Cancer Trials Resilience Group.

The Community and Third Sector Recovery Programme (CTRSP) opened for applications on 21 September and will run until March 2021. Over three hundred applications have been received to date and these are currently being assessed by our partners. By the end of this week (6 Nov) a total of 22 Organisations will be in receipt of grants totalling over £410,000 with a further 25 Organisations currently receiving Business Advice through the Adapt and Thrive Programme.

The Adapt and Thrive Programme aims to support organisational change, it offers tailored, specialist advice, as well as grants between £5 and £25k. Loans of £25K+ are also available.

Third Sector Organisations need to adapt to the challenges presented by COVID, to ensure that they continue to have a positive impact in their communities. Working with an advisor, organisations will be supported to develop a plan to operate sustainably post-COVID. This may mean developing new income streams, restructuring the organisation, or changing how services are delivered.

The contribution from community and third sector organisations has been an essential part of how communities have responded to the pandemic, the connections and partnerships made will continue to play an important role in recovery. Communities Recovery Fund aims to support either the delivery of community services that were suspended or reduced because of COVID, or the creation of new services that tackle new challenges presented by COVID.

The fund will offer grants to enable organisations to reintroduce the delivery of services, adapt existing services or the develop new services to tackle new or exacerbated needs resulting from COVID.

The Scottish Government guidance on Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on reducing the risks in schools is clear that support for continued learning should be in place for those who are unable to attend school due to shielding or other covid related absence.

The strategic framework and the guidance on reducing the risks in schools set out that at Protection Levels 3 and 4 there are additional considerations for pupils who may be at highest clinical risk. At protection level 4 a pupil will have been advised via a letter from the Chief Medical Officer if shielding is appropriate. The schools guidance is clear that a pupil who has been asked to shield may attend school if an individualised risk assessment is completed, including consultation with the child’s secondary care (hospital) clinical team, which has enabled appropriate arrangements to be put in place for them to do so. In the circumstances where a child or young person is unable to attend school due to shielding or school closure, as a result of Covid-19, school health services and therapeutic support will be continued where appropriate mitigations can be made to ensure the safety of pupils, staff and families. This will be reflected in the guidance for schools in due course.