Seòmar agus comataidhean

Our commitment to improving Early Intervention Psychosis (EIP) services is reflected in Action 26 of the Mental Health Strategy, as well as in the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce Delivery Plan. The allocation of additional funding reflects that EIP is a policy priority for the Scottish Government, and our Vision to Improve Early Intervention in Psychosis in Scotland provides detail of how these commitments will be taken forward.

The first stage of our two-stage process, as outlined in our Vision, involves an EIP Improvement Network carrying out a national needs assessment, and conducting dedicated improvement work with two NHS Boards. The second phase of the process will be guided by the EIP Improvement Network's recommendations, and will involve the phased implementation of better EIP services and support across Scotland.

More generally, there are powerful arguments for improving EIP services. These are articulated in our Vision paper, including perspectives from people with lived experience. Psychosis can be an acutely serious mental health condition with potentially life-changing consequences. It is therefore vital that we provide the right help for people presenting for the first time with psychosis. There is also a volume of evidence showing that EIP is a highly effective approach, both in terms of clinical outcomes and cost effectiveness.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) completed a diagnostic exercise with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s ESTEEM service (in January 2019) and NHS Highland’s Argyle and Bute Mental Health team (in February 2019). The aim of the exercise was to collect data to inform HIS’s Short Life Working Group on Early Intervention Psychosis (EIP) of the current early intervention service provision in an urban and rural environment.

The diagnostic exercise collected data on the current implementation of available evidence and guidelines, the current levels of demand, referral sources, clinical pathways, workforce, staff competencies (actual and required), and potential future developments that could be supported by a national action plan.

The results have been used to inform our Vision paper, which lays the groundwork for a nationwide improvement in EI Psychosis services in urban, semi-urban and rural settings.

We are making excellent progress towards our target of delivering 50,000, affordable homes, 35,000 of which will be for social rent, backed by a record investment of £3.3 billion.

The most recently published Quarterly Housing Statistics show that since April 2016 to end March 2019, we have delivered 25,405 affordable homes, 16,419 of which are for social rent – keeping us well on track to deliver our ambitious target over the course of this Parliament.

This government can be very proud of its record on affordable housing having now delivered more than 86,000 affordable homes since 2007.

I can confirm that a working group, chaired by CELCIS, met on 20 May to start a time-limited process aimed at developing an improved pathway to prevent homelessness for people with experience of care. As a result of this meeting, the group is in the process of considering the specific actions required to improve the housing journey of young care experienced people in Scotland. Members will discuss this in further detail at meetings scheduled for 30 July and 28 August.

Official published statistics for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) show that for the three year period to 31st March 2019, there were a total of 30,749 homes recorded as affordable housing starts. The official statistics can be found using the following link: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuild/AHSPtables ;

It should be noted that whilst the majority of homes delivered through the AHSP will be new build, the programme also includes rehabilitation projects, off-the-shelf purchases and homes for low-cost home ownership from existing housing stock.

The next set of official statistics in respect of the AHSP are due to be published in September.

Policy officials have started preliminary work to understand the experience of people who are homeless as a result of domestic abuse, alongside a wider piece of work on equalities across the Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan. A number of internal meetings have taken place with teams from across the Scottish Government to understand more about the context, raise awareness, and identify the right external stakeholders to take the work forward. In addition, we are currently considering an appropriate platform to develop a domestic abuse prevention pathway by summer 2020.

Of the cases reported in the outcome category “Not known”, a large proportion are cases where contact has been lost prior to duty discharge. Of the cases reported in S5W-22646, 51% of “not known” outcomes of those with no local connection in 2015-16 had lost contact prior to duty discharge, in 2016-17 this accounted for 64% and in 2017-18 73%.

The Scottish Government is happy to further discuss the “Not known” category with Local Authorities at the next Homelessness Statistics User Group meeting, which is provisionally scheduled for September, to obtain an indication of the feasibility of taking further steps to record and better classify these outcomes where contact has not been lost.

The Scottish Government does not collect further information regarding the “other (known)” outcome category.

We plan to consult with users via the Homelessness Statistics User Group, which has a provisional meeting date of September and will explore whether there are any outcomes which are commonly recorded under the “other (known)” category. If this is the case, such outcomes can be added as additional categories to this question. However, there will always be an “other (known)” category, as it is not feasible to include all possible outcomes within the local authority data collection and published statistics.

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 gives every carer a right to an adult carer support plan or young carer statement. This is a personalised plan, focusing on what matters to the individual carer. If the carer has eligible needs in their plan which meet the local eligibility criteria, they must be offered support to meet those needs. Carers also have the right to decide how they receive this support by choosing from the four self-directed support options.

The Scottish Government is fully funding implementation of the Carers Act by providing £17.4 million to local authorities in 2018-19 and an additional £10.5 million in 2019-20, which reflects the projected increase in demand. We expect to see local budgets increasing by this amount compared to the funding for 2018-19.

Under the Act, each local authority and health board must jointly prepare and publish a local carer strategy. This strategy must set out an assessment of the demand for support to relevant carers and the extent to which this demand is currently not being met. The statutory guidance to accompany the Act encourages local authorities to use this assessment to plan for meeting current and future needs, including unmet need.

Carers can access universal, preventative support in the community without having received an adult carer support plan or young carer statement.

In addition to funding for the Carers Act, the Scottish Government is providing £3 million in 2019-20 for the voluntary-sector Short Breaks Fund. The Fund provides four distinct programmes which offer different short breaks opportunities to a range of carers and their families.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-23920 on 9 July 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