Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17825 on 22 May 2023. 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

a) Prescription charges were removed in Scotland in financial year 2011-12, with £57m being baselined into territorial board budgets. The prescription charge for a single item in 2007-08 was £6.85. In England, where prescription charges were not abolished, the single item charge increased to £9.65 in April 2023.

b) In 2022-23 the nominal price payments for the Older & Disabled Persons’ scheme was £158.4m, and the Young Persons’ Scheme was £109.1m. These figures may be subject to future revision as operators have up to 12 months to make a claim for reimbursement in line with scheme legislation. Statistics on concessionary travel can be found in Chapter 2 via the following link: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/scottish-transport-statistics-2022/

c) Information on expenditure related to Free Personal and Nursing Care is published annually, and is publicly available via the following link: Health and social care analysis - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Table 1 provides real terms spend per primary, secondary, and Additional Support for Learning pupil based on 2021-22 prices, to align with the most recent Local Government Financial Returns. Data is provided from 2007-08 for primary and secondary spend. Additional Support for Learning spend is provided from 2012-13, when the data was first collected in Local Government Financial Returns.

Table 1: Real terms average spend per pupil, 2007-08 to 2021-22

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring those living with Crohn’s or Colitis are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

Whilst the Scottish Government has not signed the campaign pledges, we continue to support the Crohn’s & Colitis UK campaign for earlier diagnosis. In March 2023 we launched an awareness campaign to help increase awareness of Crohn’s and Colitis symptoms and signpost to reliable information so people feel empowered to seek help from a medical professional when needed. We engaged with Crohn’s & Colitis UK to ensure the campaign was complementary to their own.

We will continue to improve services for people with the condition through the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP). MPPP has a specific workstream continuing to promote improvements in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) care for patients across Scotland in partnership with third sector and people with lived experience. Scotland’s national IBD Steering Group has identified priority areas for work over the next two years. This includes consideration of referral pathways and models of IBD care to drive a more standardised and equitable service across Scotland.

To specifically support scope based diagnostics, such as endoscopy, we have published an Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal plan backed by £70m. The plan focuses on key areas such as: Balancing Demand and Capacity; Workforce Training and Development; Infrastructure; and Innovation and Redesign. While endoscopy capacity remains challenged, patients referred on our most urgent pathways continue to be prioritised for scope-based diagnostic tests.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. This is a matter for Health Boards locally.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people in Scotland living with Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease and colitis, are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

We have funded the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) which has a specific workstream continuing to promote improvements in IBD care for patients across Scotland in partnership with third sector and people with lived experience. Scotland’s national IBD Steering Group has identified priority areas for work over the next two years. This includes consideration of referral pathways and models of IBD care to drive a more standardised and equitable service across Scotland to ensure that people receive appropriate help when they need it.

We also fund NHS Research Scotland which is a partnership between Health Boards and the Chief Scientists Office of Scottish Government to ensure that NHS Scotland provides the best environment to support clinical research. This includes a gastroenterology speciality group which leads on research into Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, with a focus on a range of areas including early diagnosis of these conditions and clinical trials for new treatments. More information is available on the NHS Research Scotland website: https://www.nhsresearchscotland.org.uk/research-areas/gastroenterology.

Investigations into the Scottish National Party were not discussed at the meeting held between the former Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans and Police Scotland on 9 February 2023.

Councils agreed to freeze Council Tax from 2008-9 when the average Band D charge in Scotland was £1,149. In 2021-22, we estimate this figure would have increased by £399 had the CPI inflation measure applied and by £502 had the average Council Tax increases in England applied.

Using the CPI measure, we estimate that by 2021-22 the average Band G and Band H charges would have been £3,033 and £3,794 respectively and £3,234 and £4,046 if the average Council Tax increases in England had applied.

The Scottish Government spent £20,837 on the recent awareness campaign on Crohn’s and Colitis.

The former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care met with Crohn’s & Colitis UK on 1 March 2023.