Seòmar agus comataidhean

While GP sessions have sometimes been defined for the purposes of various payments, there is no overall contractual definition of GP sessions.

GP contract regulations require practices to ensure provision of services from Monday- Friday, 08:00 - 18.30. It is up to the practice partners to agree how that is covered by GPs and the number and length of sessions.

Asthma patient hospitalisations, age-sex standardised rate per 100,000

We recognise the importance of engagement in developing the Climate Change Plan. We are planning for engagement with stakeholders in 2023. This is in advance of the draft Climate Change Plan being laid by the end of 2023 – for a period of at least 120 days of scrutiny - and a public consultation which will commence at the same time. In addition, we will publish an engagement report alongside the new draft Climate Change Plan to 2040 to provide detail around this engagement.

The Scottish Government’s Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change - Climate change - Net Zero Nation: public engagement strategy - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) - sets out the importance of widespread participation and engagement in addressing the climate emergency.

Achieving our emissions reduction targets requires a societal transformation that goes beyond incremental behaviour change. There are currently 29 research projects being managed through ClimateXChange, totalling £1.2million. Many of these will inform our approach to the Climate Change Plan, including a project to identify points of intervention with the potential to influence multiple, interlinked social practices.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12136 on
‎ 24 November 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

Our universities are autonomous institutions and the alliances they forge across global academic networks are a matter for them and their governing bodies.

However, we expect all universities to understand and manage the reputational, ethical and security risks associated with international partnerships. This includes conducting appropriate due diligence before entering into new international partnerships and monitoring existing partnerships. Guidance to support universities has been published by Universities UK.

Following the Minister of State for Security, Tom Tugendhat's statement in the House of Commons on 1 November 2022 reiterating UKG's pledge to close all Confucius Institutes, my officials have increased their engagement with UK officials in order to understand the impact that this policy shift will have for Scotland.

Marine litter is a global problem, and we know that more needs to be done. The Scottish Government thanks the Marine Conservation Society and their volunteers for their considerable efforts in gathering this data and also removing beach litter during the Great British Beach Clean in September. Their citizen science is vital in helping us prioritise future policy and legislation development.

We published our refreshed Marine Litter Strategy in September which contains an action plan to reduce the most common forms of litter and support the removal of debris that is already there. The Strategy covers a wide range of litter sources from large items such as fishing gear, to microplastics in the form of nurdles.

Our new actions build on multiple measures introduced to reduce plastic waste and pollution, such as: our bans on single-use plastic products including cotton buds, straws, cutlery, plates, drinks stirrers, balloon sticks, and food and drink containers made of expanded polystyrene; and on planned work such as a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, to be introduced next year.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on emergency presentations of cancer.

We are committed to diagnosing cancer as early and as quickly as possible which is why we continue to invest in our Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme and are rolling out Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services. Work is underway to develop a new earlier diagnosis vision in Scotland - this will form part of the new cancer strategy, due to publish Spring 2023.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on emergency presentations.

We are committed to reducing emergency diagnoses for cancer and have established three Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDS) across NHS Scotland, with a further two sites announced by the First Minister on 10 October 2022.

RCDS provide primary care with access to a new referral pathway for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer. The Clinical Leads for two of the Services are Haematologists, reflecting the role that this new model can play in diagnosing blood cancers including leukaemia earlier.

In addition, the Scottish Government will continue to work closely with primary care clinicians, including the Scottish Primary Care Cancer Group, to identify possible symptoms as early as possible and support appropriate referral via the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer.

Work is underway to develop a new earlier diagnosis vision in Scotland - this will form part of the new cancer strategy, due to publish Spring 2023. Measurements such as emergency presentation data, to track progress and improvements, are being considered.

NHS Scotland Health Boards determine consultant requirements locally, based on their service provision responsibilities and service configuration needs. Scottish Government workforce planning guidance requires Boards to take a demand-led approach by determining future staffing requirements in line with healthcare needs within their locality.

Under this Government, however, the number of Consultant Haematologists working in NHS Scotland has increased by 18.9% or by 15.5 WTE, from 82.1 WTE as at September 2006 to 97.6 WTE as at June 2022.

Future medical workforce needs are considered annually by the Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group (SSoTTG) wherein existing training numbers are reviewed and additional ‘expansion’ posts can be added where there is evidence of increasing future demand for specialist services within a particular discipline. Ministers have created 725 additional training places since 2014 following recommendations made by the SSoTTG, 152 of which were agreed to through the most recent consultation. This represents the largest annual expansion to date. The SSoTTG will review the number of training places in haematology within the upcoming consultation which will take place in 2023.

Furthermore, we are developing a new 10 year Cancer Strategy to launch in Spring 2023 which will take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care. This will be supported by a 3-year action plan.

A clinical refresh of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer was completed in 2018 with revised clinical guidance published January 2019. The guidelines support primary care clinicians in ensuring those with symptoms suspicious of cancer are put on the right pathway at the right time.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with primary care clinicians across NHS Scotland, including the Scottish Primary Care Cancer Group, to raise awareness of symptoms and best referral practice for all cancer types.

Scotland’s first three Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services are live, providing primary care with a new referral pathway for patients with non-specific symptoms i.e. fatigue, nausea, weight loss – this can often include patients with Haematological cancers. A suite of tests, including blood tests, are undertaken in primary care at the point of referral. The Scottish Government is committed to working towards equitable access to a RCDS across Scotland, for eligible patients.