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The number of appointments available at clinics are based on the number of staff available on a given date. For example, if there are three vaccinators available at a clinic at 9am on a specific date then 3 appointments would be available to allocate for that time slot.

In instances where staff are sick absences may occur at short notice which cannot be foreseen, and bank cover staff are not always available at short notice to replace staff. Every effort is made to ensure there is sufficient vaccinators on site, however, as appointments are created and scheduled weeks in advance therefore local issues may arise.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde has put measures in place to try and reduce wait times and queues at its clinics by ensuring appropriate measures are in place to manage queues safely and effectively. For example, advising members of the public to arrive as close to their scheduled appointment time as possible to avoid queues.

Remobilisation of Dermatology services within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (GGC) is continuing across all sites.

In common with many other specialties, services have experienced workforce challenges; however, the dermatology multidisciplinary team are working together to maximise service delivery.

Urgent referrals continue to be prioritised on clinical grounds, while the service is making every effort to work towards a reduction in the maximum waiting times for routine patients.

The GGC Dermatology service are also working nationally with colleagues in the Centre for Sustainable Delivery on new ways of working, with developments in the use of technology to support patient care.

The Scottish Government is clear that any member of staff in NHS Scotland with concerns about any aspect of delivering healthcare has the right to raise their concerns and to have them addressed accordingly.

The Scottish Government expects all Health Boards at a local level to ensure frontline staff from all clinical groups receive the protective equipment they require.

At a national level, where there are a range of sizing options available NHS National Services Scotland buys and makes available a wide range of PPE to ensure that there is a suitable range of items to suit the majority of needs.

It is important to note that resilience of the Communications Sector, which includes telecommunications and internet, is reserved and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government.

The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is operator-owned and the operators are entitled to replace or remove it, so long as they continue to meet their regulatory obligations.

To ensure that consumers can still make emergency calls during a power cut, Ofcom has placed regulatory obligations on telecoms providers.?

The guidance states that providers must have at least one solution (such as a battery back-up unit or means to connect to a mobile network) available that enables customers to access emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power cut, and that it must be offered free of charge to customers who are at risk as they are dependent on their landline.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage closely with the UK Government and the regulator (Ofcom) for assurance that resilience of the telecoms network in Scotland is a priority.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-11247. On 27 October 2022. 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 Scottish Government is supported by both commercial and legal experts in its ongoing management of the Scottish Government Guarantee with the GFG Alliance.

The public communication campaign consists of two distinct phases.

The first, is aimed at business and has started already.

The second, which is aimed at the general public will begin closer to the launch of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme and is currently being developed. This is consistent with international best practice.

To provide patients with some reassurance around the possible length of their wait, the Scottish Government have launched a new online platform, which is available at https://www.nhsinform.scot/waiting-times . Developed in conjunction with NHS 24 and PHS, the platform provides patients with information on planned care waiting times by giving an indication of how long patients typically waited over the last quarter. This includes information on the number of patients admitted for treatment as well as the typical wait experienced by people during this time period.

We recognise the impact that long waiting times can have on a patient’s mental health, so the platform also includes information for patients to keep as fit and healthy as possible while waiting for treatment. In addition, the Healthy living | NHS inform page provides advice and tools which includes information on mental wellbeing.

In an effort to reduce the waiting time for patients awaiting cataract surgery, Health Boards across NHSScotland are undertaking additional cataract surgical sessions and independent sector contractors are providing additional support, within NHS facilities, to increase the number of cataract procedures delivered. This will reduce the overall number of patients waiting for surgery as well as their length of wait.

In tandem with this – and in line with guidance from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists - Scottish Government clinically led peer reviews are taking place across all Health Boards. Supporting teams to adopt more efficient ways of working in order to increase the number of patients that can be treated within each cataract only surgical session forms part of these reviews.

Sequential bilateral cataract surgery is also undertaken by some surgeons, particularly in remote and rural areas and where patients’ ability to work has been affected. This prevents duplication of effort across the patient’s journey, as well as reducing the carbon footprint.

The Scottish Government has also commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) to support an increase in theatre productivity, including the development of a national Blueprint which will outline how Health Boards can increase efficiency across the cataract surgical journey. This will be disseminated to all Health Boards in the coming weeks.

In 2015, the Scottish Government was one of the first governments to develop and adopt a National Marine Plan, which sets out the strategic framework and policies for the sustainable development of our marine resources out to 200 nautical miles.

Since 2015, there have been significant changes in Scotland – including our commitment to becoming a net zero nation by 2045, the impacts of EU exit and increased understanding of the impacts of climate change and human activity on the marine environment. The most recent statutory review of the National Marine Plan, published in 2021, suggested that while the current plan is effective, the urgent need to tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, amongst other more recent factors, such as energy security, has become a core driver for a new plan.

Acknowledging the findings of this review, we have decided that now is the time to develop a new National Marine Plan. The National Marine Plan 2 (“NMP2”) will take account of the aspirations and framing set out in the recently published Blue Economy Vision, among other long-term commitments outlined in the Programme for Government and Bute House Agreement.

Developing our second National Marine Plan will be a considerable undertaking, comparable to the efforts required to develop its terrestrial equivalent, National Planning Framework 4. It will involve extensive consultation with stakeholders and a series of technical assessments, which we estimate will take in the region of three years to complete.

There will be significant choices to make as we proceed through the planning process. We want all sectors and communities to be part of developing this National Marine Plan 2, building shared objectives for the future of Scotland’s seas. In the spirit of this commitment, today we have published a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy for the development of National Marine Plan 2, which includes our statutory Statement of Public Participation. These resources outline when and how we intend to engage with the people of Scotland throughout the process and will be updated on a regular basis.

These documents and further information are available at:

• https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781804358641
• National marine planning - Marine planning - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• Marine planning - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)