Seòmar agus comataidhean

As I noted in my statement to Parliament on 24 June, a single NHS Board first discovered in December 2020 that a small number of women who had subtotal hysterectomies had been wrongly excluded.

In 2016, a review was carried out of all individual records on the Scottish Cervical Call-Recall System (SCCRS) which had both a subtotal hysterectomy entry and also an open exclusion on the record. This was prompted by an IT error that had led to ‘no cervix’ exclusions being automatically added to the system when a subtotal hysterectomy was recorded together with recommended management of ‘no follow up’ or ‘no further recall’. This error was swiftly addressed.

In the course of addressing the issue, a number of other cases were identified, where a subtotal hysterectomy had been recorded on SCCRS and a manual exclusion had subsequently been opened. As soon as this was discovered, a process was initiated to identify all records on SCCRS with subtotal hysterectomies and open exclusions.

Following a rigorous review of affected records, it was established that some exclusions had been opened in error. Anyone affected was re-instated to the screening programme, and provided with a full explanation. Recommendations were made for safeguards to be put in place to prevent further instances of inappropriate manual exclusions.

At that time, it was believed that the records review had captured all affected patients, and there was no evidence to suggest further widespread errors in the recording of subtotal hysterectomies or the general application of exclusions.

It should be noted that, in 2006, in preparation for the migration to SCCRS, a data cleansing exercise was carried out. GP practices were provided with a list of women where there were discrepancies between the exclusion status and screening history and asked to resolve these before the transfer to SCCRS was complete.

This data cleansing exercise was standard good practice prior to the migration to SSCRS and did not uncover significant coding or data issues that gave rise to widespread concerns. Once the inconsistencies were resolved, the migration to SCCRS was carried out. A decision was made to migrate total hysterectomy information and all exclusions but not subtotal hysterectomy information, as individuals with subtotal hysterectomies would continue to be screened.

Although the actions taken in response to the issues detected in 2006 and 2016 were reasonable in light of the available evidence, we will consider whether there were opportunities to detect the wider issues now identified, and, if so, what lessons can be learned to strengthen monitoring and auditing going forward.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01898 on
‎ 23 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.

Attendance and absence figures for 2020-21 are currently based on daily management information and has only been subjected to limited quality checking.

Bearing this in mind, since March 2021, this data shows that:

Primary Schools

• 26.1% of primary pupils were not in school more than 10% of the time
• 1.0% of primary pupils were not in school more than 50% of the time

Secondary Schools

• 50.1% of secondary pupils were not in school more than 10% of the time
• 5.0% of secondary pupils were not in school more than 50% of the time

Only pupils who had a total of at least 50 half day openings have been included in the analysis (note: where half-day sessions refer to mornings/afternoons when schools were providing learning), which was based on daily management information from 15 March 2021 – 2 April 2021 (inclusive - primary schools only) and 12 April 2021 – 25 June 2021 (inclusive - primary and secondary schools). Note that between 15 March 2021 and 2 April 2021 secondary schools were still closed to most pupils. As such, this period has not been included in the analysis for secondary schools.

The Scottish Government will be publishing its National Statistics on pupil attendance and absence in due course. These figures will be more subjected to quality assurance procedures, and as such, will be of higher quality than our current data.

Information relating to complaints associated with specific medical treatments such as CPR is not collected centrally.

If an individual wishes to raise a complaint about NHS treatment or care this should be addressed at a local level through the NHS Complaints Handling Procedure (CHP). The Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 and supporting legislation, provides a specific right for people to make complaints, raise concerns, make comments and give feedback to NHS Boards. The Act also places a duty on NHS Boards to thoroughly investigate and respond to any concerns raised, to take improvement actions where appropriate and to share learning from the views they receive. Where an individual remains dissatisfied with the outcome of the CHP investigation, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) is the second and final stage in the complaints process.

Transport Scotland does not hold data on the percentage of passengers wearing face coverings while using public transport. However, ScotRail advise that the most recent observed levels indicate between an average of 80% and 90% of passengers wearing face coverings. The Confederation for Passenger Transport (CPT), who represent bus operators, advise recent observed levels indicate an average of around 80% of passengers wearing face coverings. In relation to ferries, operators have advised that they estimate that observed levels indicate around 85-95% of passengers wearing face coverings whilst using their services.

The recently observed levels do not include those who may be exempt from wearing face coverings on account of age and health conditions and so the levels of compliance with the regulations will be higher than the observed average percentages of passengers wearing face coverings.

As previously set out in the Chamber, Scottish Government will take forward a comprehensive review of the arrangements in place for provision of financial support for patient travel. This review will take full account of the matters raised by Members.

Regrettably, this review has been delayed due to prioritisation of NHS recovery and remobilisation planning, and will be taken forward as soon as possible.

The mesh fund is being administered by NHS National Services Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. The following table illustrates, as at 26 July 2021, the number of applications approved, declined and pending:

The Scottish Government recognises that clinical trials for vaccinations are critical for responding to COVID-19 and we would like to thank all those who have volunteered to take part in these trial, you are providing a great benefit for our society and indeed the rest of the world.

On 11 June 2021 the Deputy Chief Medical Officer wrote an open letter to UK residents who have volunteered to take part in COVID-19 vaccine studies outlining that those participating in such trials should not be disadvantaged in terms of any future domestic vaccine certification, if introduced, compared to anyone else who has had their vaccines under the standard NHS programme.

Those involved in clinical trials will shortly receive a letter confirming their involvement in the trials. This letter can be used for domestic purposes as proof of trial status. We are also working on a technical solution that will enable them to access their record on NHS Inform.

There are voluntary agreements in some parts of Scotland around the use of jet skis, including duration of use and timings. We are not aware of a specific agreement covering Wardie Bay. These agreements are not a statutory requirement.

Our natural geography brings the benefit of increased opportunity to access both freshwater and our unique coastline and we will continue to promote and ensure the safe enjoyment of Scotland’s diverse landscape.

The Scottish Government works closely with Water Safety Scotland (WSS) and other partners, including local councils, Police Scotland and Scottish Fire & Rescue Service to implement and support initiatives that can help raise awareness, this includes providing grant funding to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Scottish Community Safety Network to help promote a co-ordinated and preventative approach to water safety across the country.

WSS has produced a guide on Water Safety Policy in Scotland which is available online.

It is vital for the current COVID-19 vaccination programme to reach everyone and that no one is left behind, both for individual health and our collective community wellbeing.

In order to achieve this, we have embedded inclusion as a key aspect of our national programme, working alongside Health Boards and other partners to encourage uptake, remove barriers and respond to evidence of low uptake in certain communities, including those from more deprived areas.

We have worked with Health Boards to map the locations of our vaccination clinics, ensuring that they are accessible for those in more deprived areas, and local partnerships with transport providers has supported people with free travel to appointments, if required.

Health Boards have also adapted their delivery models to ensure they are reaching communities with lower uptake. For example, mobile outreach units have been provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and some Health Boards have partnered with local transport providers to use their vehicles to take out into community settings. Pop-up and drop-in clinics are now being used across the country for those who are unable or unwilling to access the mass vaccination clinics. Health Boards plan the locations of these to suit the needs of their populations, and respond to evidence of lower uptake in certain areas.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19): vaccine deployment plan provides further information on our approach to delivering the vaccine to everyone in our society.