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The Scottish Government remains committed to achieving the 2024 elimination of hepatitis C target; however, we must acknowledge the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on all our health services.

We are working closely with the Scottish Health Protection Network hepatitis C Elimination group and Public Health Scotland to understand the current Hepatitis data. We are actively considering where focused interventions would bring about the biggest impact and support us to reach our target of elimination. We intend to include concrete proposals in the next iteration of the sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses Framework, which we expect to publish later this year.

There are currently 837 Community First Responders. The Scottish Ambulance Service maintain a rolling database of CFRs so do not hold historic figures.

We are committed to supporting children, young people and students who use British Sign Language (BSL) at all stages of their learning.

Education authorities have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including BSL users. The Scottish Government provides funding of £150,000 to the Scottish Sensory Centre to support training for staff working with children and young people with sensory impairments, including BSL users.

All colleges and universities in Scotland have published BSL plans (accessible in BSL and English) setting out how students who use BSL are supported. Students attending college or university are also eligible to apply for additional financial support to help with any additional costs which arise as a result of a disability or additional learning need. This can include support towards the cost of BSL interpreters to assist their learning.

BSL is currently taught as a second additional language in schools as part of the 1+2 languages policy. This means it can be taught from P5 at the latest up to the end of S3. Learning does not need to be continuous during this time. The uptake of schools teaching BSL has increased steadily, and SQA awards are designed for both hearing and deaf learners to develop their language skills.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) is working with the University of Edinburgh on the development of an undergraduate degree in Primary Education and BSL. This would lead to graduates qualifying as primary teachers with enhanced BSL skills. GTCS is also considering further action to remove barriers that make it difficult for BSL users to become registered teachers, including reviewing registration rules.

The ’BSL Interpreting in Scotland: Landscape review’, commissioned by the Scottish Government in relation to Actions 7, 8, and 9 of the British Sign Language National Plan 2017 - 2023, was published in February 2020 with 13 recommendations. The recommendations include reference to improvements and development of vocational and academic pathways for interpreter training and BSL qualifications, and development of this work is currently being considered.

We have also committed to providing additional funding to enable local authorities to offer free British Sign Language tuition for deaf children from the age of five, and work to implement that commitment is underway, in consultation with stakeholders.

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 122 on the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was first published in December 2010. Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), of which SIGN is a part, carried out awareness raising activity following publication which included the following:

• As an aid to standardising the information provided to patients on VTE across Scotland, the text of the model patient advice leaflets on DVT, which the Chief Medical Officer sent to all NHS Boards in January 2008, was included in appendices to the guideline.
• In April 2011 an information leaflet on deep vein thrombosis (DVT) for the general public was made available for download from the SIGN website. Distribution of paper copies was led by the SIGN Patient Involvement Officer.
• Work with its partners to embed the Guideline’s recommendations into general practice decision-making software.

Subsequently, Healthcare Improvement Scotland took forward work on VTE as part of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on spend relating to the above work.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07939 on 29 April 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 .

Work on the refresh of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework is underway. It is anticipated that it will be published in Autumn 2022.

The COVID-19 Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s Issues noted in its recently published evidence summary , that the evidence continues to indicate that teachers do not have an increased risk of severe disease. Guidance for all schools has been updated to reflect public health guidance on symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19 and we are asking ask people to continue to take sensible, basic steps in order to protect themselves and others in the same way as we do within shops and on public transport.

In relation to those who are clinically vulnerable, the Scottish Government announced on 27 April that we will formally end the Highest Risk List on 31 May 2022. The success of the vaccination programme, and availability of new medicines to treat Covid-19, mean the majority of people on the list are at no greater risk from Covid-19 than the rest of the population in Scotland.

The Chief Medical Officer has for some time advised people on the Highest Risk List to follow the same advice as the rest of the population unless advised otherwise by their GP or clinician. This applies equally to household members of people on the list and includes going into schools and early learning and childcare settings. He has also advised people whose immune system is suppressed to take extra care and follow the advice of their GP or clinician as they would have done before the pandemic.

At this stage in the pandemic it is no longer considered necessary or proportionate to continue to ask school staff and secondary pupils to test regularly. This is in line with advice from Public Health Scotland, senior clinicians and the Advisory Sub-group on Education and Children’s Issues. That advice makes clear that the population currently has much stronger protection against COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic, due to the vaccination programme (levels of vaccination are very high amongst school staff) and the development of natural immunity to the infection. In contrast to the position when the testing programme was first introduced, severe health outcomes for all age groups are far less likely to arise due to this protection, availability of and access to antiviral treatments, and increased scientific and public understanding about how to manage risk.

The Scottish Government is working with partners, including the Children and Young People’s Commissioner, on new human rights-based non-statutory guidance to minimise the use of restraint in schools.

The physical intervention working group began work on the new guidance in January 2020. Progress was affected by group members’ focus on the Covid-19 response. However, work resumed in June 2020 and positive progress has been made since then. The working group last met on 23 November 2021. Following that meeting, working group members reached agreement by correspondence that the draft guidance can be put to public consultation. The Scottish Government is currently preparing this consultation.

Details of the membership and notes of the meetings of the physical intervention working group are available on the Scottish Government’s website: Physical Intervention Working Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The Board is ensuring the pyramid of support for patients with MS by working in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Neurology Service who provide a specialist neurology service through a Service Level Agreement. The NHS Western Isles Neurology Team has weekly discussions with their NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde colleagues to discuss the Team’s caseload.

NHS Western Isles is also working to meet Commitment 9 in the Neurological care and support: framework for action 2020-2025, namely testing innovative ways of delivering health and social care, including new roles and new arrangements for co-ordinating care and support for people with neurological conditions such as MS.

The Board also aims to recruit to an Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist – Neurology role who will work with the current Parkinson’s specialist nurse to support people with neurological conditions including MS that require specialist support, ensuring equity of care.

The Scottish Government has supported the men’s sheds movement in Scotland since 2016 with sustained core funding provided to the national support organisation, the Scottish Mens Sheds Association (SMSA), which has enabled them to grow the men’s sheds movement here in Scotland year on year.

We are aware of their contribution to the preventative health agenda, tackling social isolation and loneliness, and their impact on our wider community empowerment ambitions, and that is why we continue to support the growth of men’s sheds.

Scottish Government is currently working with the SMSA and their Executive Officer Jason Schroeder, to agree the necessary support for this year that will help them continue to grow the movement here in Scotland.