Seòmar agus comataidhean

I would firstly like to thank the fantastic, flexible and supportive response from anaesthetists across the UK in supporting the pandemic surge requirements, particularly in Intensive Care, and as we now move to remobilise the NHS.

From the recruitment that has taken place so far in 2021, there were 67 posts advertised in Core Anaesthetics and 66 in ST3 Anaesthetics. All advertised posts have been filled. There were 5 appointable candidates who were not allocated a Core training post and 15 appointable candidates who were not allocated an ST3 post. This was a result of competitive entry and is similar both to previous years and the ratios seen in several other specialties. It does not automatically mean that these doctors are unemployed. This is because applicants ordinarily apply for multiple training posts and where an applicant is unsuccessful with one application, they may still be able to secure a post in another medical specialty or UK Nation. Unsuccessful applicants are also able to take up employment in alternative medical posts which are crucial to NHS Scotland, such as locum training posts (time which can count towards training), and are not prevented from reapplying for specialty training posts in subsequent recruitment rounds.

Where trainees are experiencing issues regarding their progression, NHS Education for Scotland are working with them and their educational supervisors on an individual basis to address these.

We are unaware of any alleged technical failures with Medical Royal College examinations and would encourage any trainee who feels that they have been disadvantaged to raise this matter formally with the College in question. We are also unaware of any alleged communications disruptions which have impacted on the specialty trainee recruitment process. Trainee recruitment this year has so far been an unprecedented success, with 94% of specialty training posts having been filled and one recruitment round still remaining.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01559 on
‎ 24 August 2021. 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

NHS Scotland’s staffing levels are at a record high and the nursing and midwifery staff group is the largest, accounting for just under 64,000 Whole Time Equivalent (42%) of the workforce, an increase of 5% from the previous year. Information on the number of Clinical Nurse Specialists by specialist cancer fields is not held centrally.

Causes of death are categorised using the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10 th Revision (ICD-10). A link to this classification is available here:CD-10 Version:2019 (who.int)

Influenza and pneumonia fall under chapter X “Diseases of the respiratory system” in ICD-10 rather than chapter I “Certain infectious and parasitic diseases”. Deaths from ‘Diseases of the respiratory system’ are shown in the following table .

For a full breakdown of all causes of death categorised within ICD-10, please refer to chapter 6 of the Vital Events Reference Tables published by National Records of Scotland.

List of Data Tables | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk)

Table 1. Deaths from diseases of the respiratory system

The Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactures both Vaxzevria and Covishield, both branded vaccines are exactly the same COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine. All SII-made doses approved by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and administered in the UK were those branded as the ’COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca’ which is now known commercially as ‘Vaxzeria’. The MHRA has not approved doses branded as ‘Covishield’ and none were in administered in the UK.

All AstraZeneca vaccines given in the UK are the same product and appear on the NHS Vaccination status letter as Vaxzevria. The European Medicines Agency has authorised this vaccine and we are confident travel will not be affected.

Individuals can access the batch number of the vaccine they received in Scotland via a Subject Access Request from their GP.

Causes of death are categorised using the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10 th Revision (ICD-10). A link to this classification is available here: ICD-10 Version:2019 (who.int)

For more detail on what is mean by “certain infectious and parasitic diseases” please refer to the following page of the online ICD-10 manual.

ICD-10 Version:2019 (who.int)

The Scottish Cancer Registry, hosted by Public Health Scotland, collects information on registrations for primary cancers. It does not hold information on secondary cancers.

There is work ongoing to develop systems for the routine collection of secondary cancer data, including secondary breast cancer. However, validation of these systems would require clinical time that is being focussed on seeing patients as we continue to prioritise cancer in the NHS. Any national system for the routine collection of secondary breast cancer would take several years to produce the first tranche of data. The Scottish Government’s National Cancer Plan has committed up to £114.5m until March 2023 which will drive a range of improvements across all cancer services.

There are no plans to undertake a metastatic breast cancer audit. Officials continue to closely monitor all patients referred with an urgent suspicion of cancer in NHS Scotland to ensure they are seen and treated as timely as possible.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01706 on
‎ 24 August 2021. 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

Anyone who has received either their first or second dose of the vaccine in Scotland can access a physical copy of their record of vaccination. They can request their record for the dose received in Scotland via the helpline on 0808 196 8565 or the website www.nhsinform.scot/covid19status . We are working at pace to align vaccination records from different nations of the UK.