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The Scottish Government commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland to undertake a review to determine underlying causes of an increase in neonatal mortality in Scotland in 2021-22 and make recommendations for improvements in care.

The report, published in February 2024, found no evidence of systemic failures of maternity or neonatal care, unusual factors, or a cluster of any one factor that would account for the significant increase in neonatal deaths in 2021-22.

Following the publication, we are working with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and other partners on the recommendations of the review.

Mothers and Babies Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK), reports give us valuable insight into national and local rates of stillbirth and neonatal mortality. We expect all NHS Boards to carefully consider MBRRACE-UK reports, including their local reports, and undertake local reviews of services rated ‘red’ for stillbirth or neonatal death, and ensure that when deaths occur, any improvements are identified and acted on.

We will be writing to NHS Boards shortly to ensure that they have taken account of the MBRRACE-UK reports and to seek assurances in particular from Boards with higher-than-average rates that work is underway, or complete, to understand and learn from the possible factors which may have contributed to the reported increase.

The Scottish Government’s Donation and Transplantation Plan: 2021-2026 sets out a number of actions designed to help reduce waiting lists for a kidney transplant. This includes the use of novel technologies, which offer the opportunity to allow transplant units to use more “marginal” organs that may previously have been declined, by means of closer joint working between transplant units, and through work to increase living kidney donation.

Working through the Scottish Donation and Transplant Group, which brings together key stakeholders, and by means of NHS National Services Division's commissioning planning, we will to continue to monitor organ utilisation to encourage good practice. In addition, the Scottish Government and NHS Boards continue to raise awareness about organ donation in order to help increase numbers of deceased organ donors, for example during Organ and Tissue Donation Week, which will take place in September 2024.

We recognise the significant potential of collaborating across sectors and with industries, including fintech, to harness technological advancements to improve the quality and delivery of public services.

Through the CivTech programme we have supported a number of open innovation challenges, working with a cross-sectoral pool of expertise to identify solutions that ensure the data that supports our public services can be accessed and used as easily and efficiently as possible.

As part of CivTech 10, launched on 30 July, we are committed to exploring possible solutions that use technology to share data seamlessly across public sector body boundaries. By streamlining data management processes to improve accessibility across public bodies and departments, we can unlock the value of data to enhance efficiency and productivity in the public sector.

We are contributing, in an advisory role, alongside FinTech Scotland, to Scottish Enterprise’s Blockchain and Digital Trust Task Force, to help drive adoption of blockchain and digital technologies across the finance, energy, manufacturing and health industries. We are also aware of Smart Data Foundry’s work on a cost-of-living dashboard with East Renfrewshire Council . We have had initial discussions with Smart Data Foundry and will explore how we can share learning from their innovative data-driven approaches and expertise with emerging technologies with public sector data communities.

Ministers have agreed to support new proposals of investment of up to £14.2 million aimed at enabling Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow (FMPG) to improve productivity and build a sustainable future.

However, this investment is subject to the plan passing detailed legal analysis and independent financial and commercial assessments, which should be complete by Autumn. The plan also contains commercially sensitive information and as such, details of the business case and investment plan cannot be shared, even after full due-diligence has concluded.

Noting the answers previously provided to questions S6W-19916 on 31 July 2024, S6W-26193 and S6W-26194 on 28 March 2024 on this topic, I can confirm it remains our intent to review standard 7.1 (statement of sustainability) to consider further opportunities for building regulations to make a positive contribution to biodiversity within new developments. As this standard sets out additional voluntary actions a developer may adopt, it would promote but not require specific provisions, such as the use of swift bricks, in new buildings.

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 Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring equitable access to living kidney donation. All nine Renal Units in Scotland are currently supporting living kidney donation, with sixteen living donor co-ordinators in post across the Renal Units. In 2016, the Scottish Government supported the creation of the Living Donation Scotland Board, whose role, working with referring Renal Units and Transplant Centres, is to make it easier to access living donor kidney transplantation. The Scottish Government also supports the Renal Units in their work by hosting an annual event for staff to share good practice and learning.

In addition, the Scottish Government is taking a number of steps to make accessing kidney donation easier as set out in the Scottish Donation and Transplantation Plan: 2021-2026 . The plan makes clear that whilst it will not be feasible for everyone, the aim is to encourage all those who need a kidney transplant to consider and explore options for a living donor transplant as their first transplant.

To ensure that every recipient who would benefit from a kidney transplant receives standard information about living donation during transplant assessment, the Scottish Government provides living donor information packs and a range of resources through the Organ Donation Scotland website, including written information, video and clear pathway contact information access for recipients and donors. Annual living donation multi-media campaigns have also proven successful in increasing awareness for donors.

Finally, following a pilot project, the Renal Education and Choices at Home (REACH Transplant) programme was implemented in 2022. REACH Transplant is funded by the Scottish Government and has involved the appointment of both a REACH transplant programme lead and ten REACH Transplant nurses across Scotland, based in each Renal Unit. The REACH Transplant nurses work with local nephrologists to identify those at an early stage who may need a kidney transplant in the future. A visit is organised with the recipient and their support network in a place of their choice to provide information on living kidney donation and to support the recipient to discuss living donation. The aim of this tailored support and timely referral for living donor transplantation is to increase the likelihood of pre-emptive transplantation by overcoming barriers and ensuring equity of treatment choice.

Current targets for nursing and midwifery controlled funded places have been set for 3 years. Prior to that, targets for controlled places were set annually. The multi-year targets were set in 2022 after extensive engagement with key stakeholders. Those stakeholders included NHS Boards, NHS Board Planners, NHS Education for Scotland (NES), Council of Deans Health Scotland, Scottish Executive Nurse Directors, RCN, RCM, Unite, Unison and internal Scottish Government policy teams.

A multi-year intake was agreed to provide stability across partners including higher education institutions.

Both quantitative and qualitative data were considered when arriving at the controlled intake targets for each student group. A modelling exercise was carried out by NES to support decision-making and this information was made available to all stakeholders ahead of the engagement process. Stakeholders were also invited to share their own data in advance as well as being invited to discuss their insights on vacancies, establishment figures and clinical placement capacity.

The Scottish Government does not provide universities with planning assumptions for neonatal nurse places as these are decided within NHS Boards in order to match the resource requirements in the Board and training needs of their staff.

Transplant patients can experience a variety of emotions following their transplant and as a result the Scottish Government recognises the importance of psychological and emotional support. In order to better understand patients’ experiences, the Scottish Government carried out a patient survey on organ transplant aftercare and support between September and December 2023, receiving 569 responses from patients in Scotland, including 192 from those who had received a kidney transplant. The survey asked about patients’ experience of psychological and emotional support both before and after transplant; about the sources of such support; about patients’ preference for where to receive this support; and about whether they had any further comments about what would have improved their experience.

The Scottish Government is currently analysing the responses to the survey with the intention of publishing the analysis by the end of the year. Working with the Scottish Donation and Transplant Group, which brings together key stakeholders, and NHS National Services Division as commissioners, the Scottish Government will consider whether further actions might need to be taken in this area and how best to ensure patients get what they need.

We will publish our finalised Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan later this Summer.