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The external costs associated with the production and publication of the paper ‘Social Security in an independent Scotland’ were published in response to question S6W-23643 on 20 December 2023. 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 .

The Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, which brings together representatives from a broad range of stakeholders, including the RCN, RCM, and academia, focuses on retention as one of its five key themes. Retention, including the retention of nursing graduates, is currently being assessed with recommended action as indicated by its findings due in the coming year.

The Scottish and UK Governments have committed over £3 billion to the City Region Deals programme and its associated investments. Information on the individual projects funded through the growth deals are outlined in their associated deal agreements.

Decisions on the national designation of services are considered by NHS National Services Division as part of NHS National Services Scotland.

NHS National Services Division have encouraged the MRgFUS team in NHS Tayside to submit a formal application for national designation of the MRgFUS service in Dundee. They hope to receive this in 2024-25.

We do not recognise the source of the data you refer to that shows excess deaths in Scotland to be 10.1% above average.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) report the age-standardised rate of excess deaths to be 6% and 1% above expected levels for the first quarter (Q1) and second quarter (Q2) of 2023 respectively, and 4% below expected levels for the third quarter (Q3).

The Best Start emphasises parents as key partners in caring for their baby and aims to keep mothers and babies, and families together as much as possible in the crucial early weeks, with services designed around them.

We have a number of measures already in place to support families who have babies in neonatal care including:

• Providing accommodation for parents to stay on or near neonatal units;
• Roll out of the Young Patients Family Fund (formerly the Neonatal Expenses Fund) to support families with the costs of travel, accommodation and food whilst their baby is in neonatal care;

And

• Repatriating babies to their local neonatal units as soon as clinically possible.

In addition, as part of Best Start, Boards have introduced Transitional Care facilities in maternity units, which keeps babies with their mothers on the postnatal ward with in-reach support from neonatal staff, and neonatal community care, which allows babies to get home sooner, supported by the community team. We continue to look to find opportunities to minimise separation, whilst providing safe care.

As this commitment relates to activity currently underway and due to be completed by the end of this financial year, this data will therefore not be available until after the end of the 2023-24 accounting period. Activity will include participants in NHS Get Started and Get Into programmes as well as Achieve educational events.

The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) helps to offset the cost of any accommodation required by eligible visitors.

The YPFF terms and conditions direct claimants to access NHS Board visitor accommodation in the first instance. Where this is not available, private accommodation (e.g. hotel) can be booked and the fund’s terms and conditions direct the NHS Board to book on behalf of the claimant where this is possible.

This process helps to ensure that most claimants avoid having to pay large accommodation bills upfront. My officials have not been alerted to an issue with this process, however, I have asked them to write to YPFF administration teams in NHS Boards to remind them of the importance of taking action to reduce unnecessary temporary financial pressures on families.

The Princes Trust and NHS Scotland Partnership’s programmes aim to support young people to achieve the outcome that is right for them. Often this is not directly into NHS employment as many of the young people require longer term support to achieve this outcome. Positive destinations include employment, further education, training or volunteering.

The Get Started programme is a personal and social development opportunity which is targeted at those young people who are furthest away from entering the labour market. In 2022-23, of the 56 young people supported, 37 participants moved on to a positive destination.

The Get Into programme is a short course that further develops young people’s skills and familiarises them with employment in the NHS. In 22-23, 44 young people were supported by the Get Into Programme with 29 moving on to a positive destination, of whom 13 gained employment with the NHS.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the retention of Princes Trust participants in NHS employment.

As part of the next phase of the work Scottish Government have commissioned Consulting firm RSM-UK to undertake detailed modelling work to fully map the capacity requirements across the system to inform further capacity building and implementation of the new model.

In the meantime discussions are underway in the regional forum to prepare and plan for the changes, which will be further informed by the modelling. The Scottish Government has provided funding to the Boards hosting the Neonatal Intensive Care units to build the capacity required in the intensive care units.