Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09214 on 28 June 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 existing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on the diagnosis and management of cirrhosis recommends that very heavy daily drinkers (men drinking up to 50 units per week or women 35 units per week) should be screened for cirrhosis using one of the newer non-invasive diagnostic technologies.

NICE suggests FibroScan and in 2020 published a Medtech innovation briefing around its use in primary care settings, but blood tests for fibrosis markers are also accurate and should be available to any clinician.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to increase the use of FibroScan and enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) tests in primary care in order to improve the early diagnosis of liver disease.

However, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is developing UK Clinical Alcohol Treatment Guidance, which is expected to include the issue of liver disease. These are expected to be published for consultation later this year. Once finalised, the Scottish Government will consider recommendations regarding early diagnosis of liver disease.

The Scottish Government has supported businesses with more than £4.7bn since the start of the pandemic. All funds have been allocated and no payments remain to be paid out by the Scottish Government. All Covid-19 business support funds have now closed.

We know people living in poverty have poorer health outcomes and this is why we are committed to addressing the underlying causes of health inequalities and increasing healthy life expectancy. There is a stark social gradient to alcohol harms and outcomes linked to poor diet with those in the most deprived areas being the most affected

Population-wide measures to transform the food environment are more likely to be effective in reducing health inequalities than measures aimed only at encouraging individuals to change their behaviours. That is why we will introduce a Bill in this Parliament that includes powers to restrict promotions of foods high in fat, sugar or salt and introduced Minimum Unit Pricing for alcohol. The Scottish Government’s Alcohol Framework 2018 sets out our priorities for preventing alcohol-related harm, including our world-leading minimum unit pricing policy.

A recent study by Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems has highlighted the effectiveness of alcohol nurses in Deep End practices in Glasgow, in supporting people with alcohol problems who have complex needs. The Scottish Government will carefully consider the findings of the report which highlight the need for more research into the effectiveness of these services.

Progress on implementing the summary case reform pilot has been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic and it is intended that the package of reforms will now be taken forward on a pilot basis recommencing in September 2022. The impact of the reforms will be closely monitored and reported on with a view to informing future rollout of the agreed reform arrangements.

The Scottish Government has supported businesses with more than £4.7bn since the start of the pandemic. All Covid-19 business support funds have closed. No funds remain to be allocated from either the Business Ventilation Fund or other Covid 19 related funds.

In 2020, the latest year for which data are available, there were 912 chronic liver disease deaths in Scotland. Of these, 759 were alcohol-related liver disease deaths. Data are not available for obesity related liver disease deaths.

Liver diseases are generally avoidable or treatable if diagnosed at an early stage and stigma often prevents people from accessing treatment; 75% of people are currently being diagnosed at a stage when it is too late for lifestyle changes or intervention.

We take a whole population approach to reducing alcohol consumption and the risk of alcohol-related harms across the population and that’s why we’ve taken a range of actions to reduce the availability, attractiveness and affordability of alcohol.

We are also taking action to reduce the impact of poor diet on people’s health which is also a significant and growing contributor to liver disease. We are taking wide-ranging action to support healthier choices, as set out in our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan , and have set a challenging aim to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and significantly reduce diet related health inequalities.

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling stigma.

In December 2021 a national campaign was launched to tackle the stigma people with problematic alcohol and drug use face. This campaign sought to communicate that drug or alcohol problems are health conditions; people should receive help and support, not judgement.

We are working with Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems to develop an action plan in relation to alcohol and stigma. This will include advice from those with lived experience, third sector organisations and academics.

We are supporting the development of the forthcoming UK-wide clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment, led by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The guidance will look to introduce new approaches to treatment, including non-stigmatising service delivery.

On 20 June 2022, Public Health Scotland launched the Challenging Weight Stigma Learning Hub. The learning hub aims to raise awareness of the impact weight stigma can have on people living with overweight and obesity and what health professionals can do to mitigate this. It is interactive and has been developed alongside academics, health professionals and those with lived experience of stigma.

NHS Boards do not currently collate numbers of bronchiectasis diagnoses over and above the usual coding of patients that happens as standard at local level. We do recognise the importance of data in understanding and improving respiratory care in Scotland, and improving access to respiratory data is a key commitment in our Respiratory Care Action Plan. One of the three priority areas for year 1 of the Plan’s implementation is data and a sub-group has recently been established to progress this commitment. The first task for this group will be to determine what data should be collected in order to improve respiratory care. This will include consideration of which individual conditions would benefit from additional data collection.

The Scottish Government intends to publish the summary report on the responses to the public consultation alongside the Implementation Plan for the Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery later this summer.