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We note the report and that many of themes explored align well with themes identified in the recently published Islands Connectivity Plan.

Regarding the governance recommendation Scottish Ministers have not taken any decisions at this stage on potential further reforms to the governance of Scotland’s ferry bodies. Work to consider all available options is ongoing, and no approach has been ruled out.

We recognise the importance of clear communication, particularly during times of disruption. As part of the CHFS3 grant agreement, CalMac will be preparing a Customer service and accessibility plan and a disruption management plan to consider these matters further.

We also recognise the importance of consultation highlighted in the report and agree that it is vital to hear from a wide range of voices. Ministers, Transport Scotland officials, CalMac and CMAL will continue to engage with island communities, businesses, staff, trades unions and wider stakeholders across the network on new policy, timetables and projects to fully understand the wider range of challenges and opportunities as we invest to sustain and enhance services.

Regarding the governance recommendation Scottish Ministers have not taken any decisions at this stage on potential further reforms to the governance of Scotland’s ferry bodies. Work to consider all available options is ongoing, and no approach has been ruled out.

The immediate priority is the successful delivery of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS3) contract, which commenced on 1 October 2025, and the introduction of six new major vessels into service. These measures are essential to strengthening resilience and improving the reliability of services for island communities.

The Scottish Government expects all healthcare to be safe, effective and person-centred. On the occasions where non-standard care areas have to be used, it is the NHS Boards who are responsible for ensuring that effective and documented risk assessments, that detail the mitigating measures, are in place to support staff who are required to deliver care to patients in these areas.

The use of non-standard areas of care is scrutinised by Healthcare Improvement Scotland as part of their inspection process. HIS has encouraged NHS Boards to implement strategies to enhance patient flow and eliminate the routine use of non-standard care areas for patient care.

The Scottish Government does not hold information for what the “average ambulance response time is in Inverclyde”.

However, the median response time in Greater Glasgow and Clyde to Purple coded incidents was 07:48 minutes (08:06 nationally) and Red coded incidents was 09:49 minutes (09:57 nationally).

Currently there is no requirement or ability for NHS Boards to record and submit data on corridor care to Public Health Scotland for publication, not least as there is not an agreed definition for ‘corridor care’.

The Scottish Government received Commissioner’s Decision 279/2025 on 27 November and has 42 days from the date of the Decision to consider its position. As this process is still ongoing we are unable to provide the information you have requested at this time.

We have a clear plan to reduce delayed discharge and are investing more than £200 million to tackle waiting list backlogs, improve capacity and remove blockages that are keeping some patients in hospital longer than they need to be. Improving patient flow is a top priority and a key commitment that we’ve successfully delivered across all NHS boards is our frailty service which provides specialist, multidisciplinary assessment and care for older patients to accelerate early discharge, reduce delays, and shorten hospital stays. We are seeing reductions in delayed discharge in some Health and Social Partnerships in recent months and are working closely with all health boards and local authorities to drive forward improvements. We are confident that we can build on this learning, to deliver better outcomes for patients so that they are cared for in the right setting and hospital beds are there for those who need them.

We also continue to grow our capacity through the expansion of Hospital at Home services. By providing care in this way we’re enabling more people to receive treatment in the comfort of their own home rather than on an acute ward, relieving pressure on frontline services in traditional hospital settings.

H@H services prevented almost 16,000 people spending time in hospital during April 2024 to March 2025, a 10% increase compared to the same period last year, relieving pressure from A&E and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

We accept that caring for patients in non-standard patient areas is sub-optimal and we are clear that no patient should be treated in a space not fit for clinical care.

We recognise the need to improve the acute care experience for patients and work has been underway over the course of 2025 to develop enhanced frailty services through the Healthcare Improvement Scotland - Frailty at the Front door standard. As a result, all NHS Health Boards have a frailty service which includes Multi-Disciplinary teams which support our front doors.

The Hospital and Community Services for Older People Living with Frailty in Scotland HIS report shows that Scotland has made significant progress in ensuring older and vulnerable patients receive timely, specialised care from the moment they arrive.

We are in active discussions with PHS regarding the feasibility of a national data collection however, our absolute focus is on addressing the cause of the conditions which lead to care in non-standard areas.

That is why through our NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan we are investing £200 million to address high hospital occupancy and improve patient flow.

Key to this work is addressing the capacity challenges which lead to care in nonstandard areas by: increasing focus on discharge planning to ensure that patients leave hospital as soon as they are medically fit; strengthening Same Day Emergency Care services to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions where appropriate; and increasing acute capacity by expanding Hospital at Home services to 2,000 beds by the end of 2026.

This year the Scottish Government published our Operational Improvement Plan and we continue to work with local system leaders to support their health and social care improvement reforms to improve access to treatment and shift the balance of care from acute hospital services to the community, and to ensure people receive the right care in the right place.