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Each institution is allocated a number of full time equivalent funded placements and it is for the universities themselves to decide; how to distribute the places between faculties, the courses they offer, how many of the total funded places they make available and the admissions criteria for each course. This includes the credits attributed to both Scottish and UK wide qualifications.

The University of Strathclyde have outlined their entry requirements for the engineering faculty within their 2020-21 prospectus. As an autonomous institution, this is a matter for the University of Strathclyde to answer directly.

Scottish universities have sole responsibility over the courses they make available and the admissions process and criteria applied to them. However, the latest UCAS statistics which show the overall UK Higher Education Institutions application and acceptance rates and placed applicant numbers for general engineering in 2018 were;

Vaccination policy in Scotland, as with the rest of the UK, is based on recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI is an independent, expert group which considers a full range of available evidence before providing advice on all aspects of vaccination.

In line with the Committee’s recommendation, this year, individuals aged 65 years and over will receive either the adjuvanted Trivalent Inactivated Vaccine (aTIV) (Fluad ®) or the cell based Quadrivalent Inactivated Vaccine (QIVc) (Flucelvax Tetra®). The aTIV vaccine contains an adjuvant and protects against three strains. The QIVc vaccine protects against four strains without an adjuvant. On the basis of the available evidence on vaccine effectiveness the JCVI considers both these vaccines to be equally effective in those aged 65 and over. In line with this, Health Protection Scotland worked with Immunisation Coordinators within each of the NHS Boards on the distribution of both flu vaccines.

The Oral Health Improvement Plan identified a range of actions, some of which have been completed. The current programme of work comprises two key highlights.

The introduction of new arrangements for dentists to provide enhanced domiciliary care in care homes. A second cohort of dentists are currently in training and the intention is for further cohorts to be rolled out next calendar year.

We have also launched an Oral Health Community Challenge Fund for Third Sector organisations to work with families living in areas of multiple deprivation to design and lead oral health improvement initiatives. The Fund comprises 22 projects throughout Scotland running from 1 July 2019 to 31 March 2022.

Survival data from ISD (2007-2011) show the 5 year survival for Oral Cavity cancers is 57.2%.

To ensure progress is made the Scottish Government launched £42 million Detect Cancer Early Programme demonstrating commitment to early detection. The ‘Survivors’ campaign was on air in September which aims to reduce fear of cancer, which we know remains a key barrier to people presenting early and encourage those with any unusual or persistent changes to their body to visit their GP practice.

To support earliest referral the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer were clinically reviewed and published on 22 January 2019. Specifically to support dissemination and use of the guidelines education events have taken place across NHS Scotland and officials are in discussion with NHS National Education Scotland to develop further online learning resources to ensure that the guidelines are being utilised consistently.

We also published the Oral Health Improvement Plan in January 2018, an ambitious programme of work, which sets the direction of travel for NHS dentistry for the next generation of patients. The focus of the Plan is to introduce a more preventive-based system of oral health care, including an Oral Health Assessment (OHA) for adult patients. Patients will receive tailored advice on how to manage and look after their oral health, including lifestyle factors such as drinking and smoking, which are clear risk factors associated with oral cancer.

The incidence for cancer of the oral cavity by NHS board over the previous five years is shown in the following table.

Table 1. Caner of the Oral Cavity – Number of Registrations

a) Shona Robison, the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, met with the Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT) on 7 February last year to discuss health services in Caithness, and the Chief Medical Officer also visited Caithness to discuss the issues they raised. I am pleased to note that CHAT continues to engage with NHS Highland and will of course consider any request for a meeting with health services user representatives.

b) It is vital that all pregnant women in Scotland receive safe, high quality service and care. The decision to change the status of the Caithness Maternity Unit from an obstetric unit to a midwife-led unit was made on the basis of safety following a report conducted by Hugo Van Woerden, Director of Public Health at NHS Highland, available via the following link: https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/News/PublicConsultation
/CaithnessRedesign/Documents/Caithness%20Report.pdf .

This government has made clear our commitment to ensuring every patient who arrives in A&E is treated in a timely way and that the care they receive is safe, person-centred and effective. Scotland’s A&E departments have outperformed those in the rest of the UK for more than 4 and a half years. Figures released in September show that this year we have seen more patients within four hours than in any year since 2012.

However, we recognise more needs to be done to improve and sustain A&E performance. We continue to work with Boards to ensure implementation of the six essential actions and that good practice is shared nationally. We have also put in place an intensive performance support team to work with those hospitals facing the greatest challenges to ensure immediate improvements.

To ensure resilience over winter, on 4 November we announced an additional £10 million would be allocated to health boards to help ensure that appropriate levels of staffing are in place across the whole system so patients are cared for at the right place at the right time and as close to home as possible. This is in addition to the £6.4 million already allocated towards improving unscheduled care.

The following table shows the mean and median waiting time by NHS Board for the year ending September 2019 and Scotland as a whole. The figures include both Emergency Departments and Minor Injuries Units.

Table 1 Mean and Median Waiting Time (minutes), Year Ending September 2019

There are a range of reasons why patients may be inappropriately admitted to hospital. This can include admissions due to a lack of suitable community support to keep an older, vulnerable patient safe in their own home. Delays in hospital discharge, and the assessment of long-term care needs within an acute ward are also an inappropriate use of hospital services, and a poor outcome for the individuals concerned.

The Day of Care Survey is carried out twice yearly and identifies the number of patients who do not meet criteria for continuing care in an acute or community bed. The last survey in May 2019 identified 21% patients in an acute bed and 39% in a community bed could be cared for in an alternative setting or discharged home.

The Scottish Government welcomes this report led by the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, and recognises the importance of ensuring that children and young people who are looked after are afforded the same opportunities as their non-looked after peers.

As part of our approach to digital inclusion across Scotland we have invested £1.5 million in the Digital Participation Charter Fund. This fund provides funding for community digital participation projects throughout the country; helping those who are digitally excluded, including young people, to improve their skills. We have also committed to ensuring our children and young people are safer online, and are working to enable both parents and carers to support safe online activity.

In exercising their duties as Corporate Parents, local authorities have a responsibility to promote the rights and interests of young people, provide those children and young people with opportunities to participate in activities designed to promote their wellbeing, and be alert to matters which, or which might, adversely affect their wellbeing. This should extend to an awareness of the issues covered in the report.