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Governance for the programme is provided by the Digital Prescribing and Dispensing Programme Board which met for the first time in November 2021. The Board has met regularly since then and stakeholder representation includes:

• NHS Board Primary Care Leads
• NHS Board Directors of Pharmacy
• NHS Board e-Health Leads
• Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland
• Scottish General Practitioners Committee (of the British Medical Association)
• Community Pharmacy Scotland
• Non-Medical Prescribers Group
• NSS Contractor Prescribing Payments team

At each meeting, the Board discusses key issues and interdependencies such as appliance supply. This will ensure that we continue to develop and adapt as necessary through the life of the programme. At the appropriate time, we will consider engaging with other stakeholders, such as the British Healthcare Trades Association.

If stakeholders wish to keep up to date on progress, including a quarterly newsletter, the latest information can be found on the NSS’ website . The programme also welcomes any feedback and comments, and these can be submitted by emailing: NSS.digitalprescribing@nhs.scot.

When launched, the initial iteration of the solution will replace the paper prescription with a digital solution. We will achieve this by developing an end-to-end digital solution for in-hours prescribing from general practices through to community pharmacy dispensing. Appliance items which are prescribed from in-hours general practice for community pharmacy dispensing, will come under the new process at this time.

If NHS health boards have alternative arrangements in place for appliance prescribing and dispensing, then these may be included in subsequent phases of the programme. Appliances for patients will continue to be prescribed and dispensed during any period of change.

Work is also underway to produce an Equality Impact Assessment which will provide a wide view of how the digital solution will affect people. These findings will be used to ensure that we can mitigate against any challenges or issues in the design of the DPDP digital solution while ensuring that it is inclusive and accessible.

The National Menopause Specialist Network is open to healthcare professionals with a special interest in menopause. The Network currently has over 55 members with representatives from all mainland Health Boards.

The Scottish Government is committed to providing accessible CAMHS services for children and young people who are deaf.

The CAMHS National Service Specification states that all children and families should receive support and services that are accessible and meet their needs. It is essential that the Scottish Government and CAMHS services engage with the deaf community and representative organisations to ensure we understand how services could better meet their needs.

As part of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board, the Scottish Government engaged with stakeholders including the National Deaf Children’s Society and representatives with lived experience to understand their needs which are being considered in future planning.

We are continuing to provide local authorities with £15 million per annum to fund community-based mental health supports for children and young people, including targeted provision for those in at-risk groups and a systematic focus on those with protected characteristics.

Kingdom Survivors Abuse Project (KASP) currently receives £40,152 per annum, over four years (2020-2024), through the Scottish Government’s Survivors of Childhood Abuse Support (SOCAS) Fund for their voluntary befriending service.

Objectives were set for KASP at the start of the Fund and have remained the same. They are expected to support 20 survivors a year with a view to improving wellbeing and resilience for survivors and ensuring survivors have access to quality, appropriate and timely services across Scotland.

As of 30 June 2023, (a) 2,345 parents or carers in the Stirling local authority area, and (b) 2,160 parents or carers in the Clackmannanshire local authority area had received at least one Scottish Child Payment since its introduction on 14 February 2021.

These figures are based on secondary analysis of the most recently published statistics on Scottish Child Payment published by Social Security Scotland. Whilst these include information on the number of children currently benefitting from Scottish Child Payment by local authority area, we do not currently produce a breakdown of the total number of parents or carers who have received payment.

The latest Scottish Child Payment Official statistics publication can be found at:

https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications .

The next release of Scottish Child Payment statistics which will cover the period to the end of September 2023, is due to be published on 28 November 2023.

The first release of Official Statistics on Winter Heating Payment was published on 6 June 2023. It provides information on Winter Heating Payment, including the number of payments issued by local authority, from launch up to 30 April 2023. The publication shows that there were 4,110 payments issued to clients in the Clackmannanshire local authority and 5,030 payments issued to clients in the Stirling local authority.

The Official Statistics for Winter Heating Payment can be found at: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/reporting/publications/winter-heating-payment-statistics-winter-2022-2023 .

The Scottish Government has a long history of providing support for town centre regeneration and continues to provide a strong policy framework, with clear priorities and actions to help facilitate and deliver change. This includes our world leading Town Centre First Principle, which was first developed in Scotland.

Our regeneration strategy published in 2011 reflects our support for town centres as a central part of community life and as the backbone of Scotland’s economy. We further strengthened our ambitions for town centres through the Town Centre Action Plan in 2013 and re-affirmed our commitment in collaboration with COSLA for the Town Centre Action Plan 2 published in April 2022. TCAP 2 is a call to action and sets out some of the ways in which we can all seek to do our part, locally and nationally.

The Scottish Government supports Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP) as the ‘go to’ body for town centre advice and support. STP works collaboratively with the Scottish Government, local authorities, and other stakeholder groups on engagement, implementation, and delivery of short and long-term town centre strategies.

Town centre regeneration in Scotland has also been backed by multiple investment programmes. Our Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP) established in 2021/22, backed with over £300m over 5 years makes an important contribution to supporting ambitions for place, community regeneration, town centres and 20-minute neighbourhoods. PBIP is also complemented by the low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) and Regeneration and Capital Grant Fund (RGCF), now in its tenth year. Information on the RCGF funding awarded is publicly available.

Though by no means exhaustive, previous programmes that have supported town centre regeneration since 1999 also include:

The Scottish Government published Quality Standards for Paediatric Audiology Services (2009) and Quality Standards for Adult Hearing Rehabilitation Services (2009) which both state that patients (and their families in the case of children) should be given a copy of their ‘Individual Management Plan’ following visits to services.

It is for Health Boards to ensure that this takes place in line with the quality standards set out.

One of the key aims in the Women’s Health Plan is to ensure that all women will have access to a healthcare professional with an interest in menopause through primary care, and that in the longer term, we build a basic understanding of menopause amongst all healthcare professionals.

In order for primary care professionals to be able to enhance their skills in menopause care, the Scottish Government has commissioned NHS Education for Scotland to create a bespoke training package and framework which is focussed on menopause and menstrual health for general practice and others working in Primary Care.

There is now a menopause specialist in every mainland NHS Board, with a buddy system in place for the Island Boards. Through the National Menopause Specialists Network these local specialists support primary care teams through the provision of access to a menopause specialist for consistent advice, support, onward referral, leadership and training.