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Although we have overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, the statutory responsibility for delivering, commissioning, providing appropriate social care capacity at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS boards and integrated Health and Social Care Partnerships.

It is, therefore, vital that these local authorities assess local population needs and target their investment where it’s needed to improve the social care infrastructure and access to care within their relevant area for current and future population needs.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that care is delivered as close to home as possible, recognising that strong family and community connections are vital to individuals’ health and wellbeing. Local authorities should take this into account when planning and commissioning care packages, prioritising arrangements that support proximity to loved ones and familiar environments.

We are committed to developing a sustainable health and social care system in Scotland that ensures people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39790 on 1 September 2025. 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.

It should also be noted however that as the majority of dentists are independent contractors, they are free to decide whether or not they wish to provide NHS services.

Ensuring the sustainability of NHS dental services is a priority for Scottish Government, which is why we introduced dental payment reform in November 2023 to make it more attractive for dentists to provide NHS services, by paying fees that better reflect the current market rates of providing dental services to patients. The 2025/26 Scottish Budget further reinforces our commitment to NHS dentistry, with an increase of almost 15% in funding for primary care dental services agreed. This takes total funding to over half a billion pounds for the first time and means that over the course of this Parliament, we will have increased investment in primary care dental services by 33%.

Scottish Government has also made provision in the 2025-26 budget for grant awards, such as the Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) grant, which pays out up to £100,000 for establishing, relocating or extending NHS dental practices in eligible areas; and the Recruitment and Retention allowance, which allows new trainee dentists to qualify for ‘golden hello’ payments of up to £37,500 in the first three years of practice.

While, this is an operational matter for train operating companies, the Scottish Government expects that all operators in Scotland provide best possible assistance to all passengers, as appropriate.

For ScotRail specifically, the Scottish Government continues to specify a requirement that all its services should have a second staff member on board to assist passengers. This may include embarking or alighting from a train for passengers with mobility issues. This applies to all journeys at any time of day, evening and night.

Decisions on the care and treatment of patients are always matters of professional judgement for the responsible practitioner having considered the needs of their patient and relevant clinical guidelines.

The Endometriosis Care Pathway has been developed for NHS Scotland and adapted from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The pathway aims to support healthcare professionals to provide a holistic approach and timely care for those with endometriosis and endometriosis-like symptoms. Both the Pathway and NICE guidance recommend clinicians consider the patient’s circumstances including their age, symptoms, priorities and emotional needs. They also include advice on, referral to a paediatric and adolescent gynaecology service, or paediatric service, depending on local service provision. Clinicians may refer to NICE and ESHRE guidelines when following the endometriosis care pathway.

Following changes to the NICE guidance a review of the pathway will be part of the 2025-26 workplan for the CfSD Gynaecology Specialty Delivery Group.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring those living with endometriosis can access the best possible care and support. That is why endometriosis is a priority in the Women’s Health Plan and will continue to be so.

There are currently no plans to conduct a review of the 2018 Oral Health Improvement Plan (OHIP).

The OHIP, which was developed in close collaboration with the dental sector, remains a relevant and important cornerstone of NHS dental services policy in Scotland. Significant progress has been made on the commitments from the OHIP since its publication, including through the introduction of payment reform in November 2023.

We are committed to improving the number of NHS dentists across the country, which is why our Operational Improvement Plan sets out a package of actions to improve the NHS dental workforce, supported by new funding in 2025-26.

Within this we will support the dental workforce pipeline through both the immediate expansion of domestic dental student numbers and the development of an innovative new training package to support international dentists in joining the NHS Scotland workforce.

The NAIT guidance has not been reviewed since publication.

However, we have begun work to look at the issue of shared care agreements for adults with ADHD which would simplify the process for medication to be prescribed by GPs following a private diagnosis.

We will review NAITs’ guidance to reflect the outcome of this work.

Decisions on the care and treatment of patients are always matters of professional judgement for the responsible practitioner having considered the needs of their patient and relevant clinical guidelines.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidelines in March 2022 which stated that the current available evidence on the safety and efficacy of liposuction for chronic lipoedema was inadequate and that more research was required.

In an update on August 2025, NICE stated it is aware of the LIPLEG trial taking place in Germany and confirmed that a review of the current guidance will be undertaken following the publication of the trial results.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with long term conditions including Lipoedema are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

The Scottish Government has recently conducted a public consultation on a new long term conditions framework to better recognise the fact that many people living with long term conditions need the same types of support and care, regardless of their condition. Analysis of the consultation responses is underway and will inform the development of the subsequent framework.

The Scottish Government has provided £80,000 of funding to the charity Talk Lipodema to enhance the development of the self-management course, ‘Living Well with Lipoedema’. This funding also enabled the charity to improve the resources available for the public and health care practitioners increasing awareness about the condition and providing practical resources, including a ‘Making a Diagnosis’ film.

The Women's Health Platform on NHS Inform has been developed to help girls and women find reliable and accessible health information. It includes a page on lipoedema with information about the condition, treatment and self-management options.

Regulation of artificial intelligence is a reserved matter, and the Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government on this issue. We understand that the UK Government is preparing to introduce new legislation related to AI, and we will continue to work closely with them to ensure that Scotland’s interests are represented.

While we do not have plans to introduce legislation specifically aimed at preventing job losses due to AI, we are focused on mitigating potential impacts through proactive measures. This includes investment in AI literacy and skills development to ensure that individuals and communities are equipped to adapt to technological change.