Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01559 on
‎ 24 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

NHS Scotland’s staffing levels are at a record high and the nursing and midwifery staff group is the largest, accounting for just under 64,000 Whole Time Equivalent (42%) of the workforce, an increase of 5% from the previous year. Information on the number of Clinical Nurse Specialists by specialist cancer fields is not held centrally.

Causes of death are categorised using the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10 th Revision (ICD-10). A link to this classification is available here:CD-10 Version:2019 (who.int)

Influenza and pneumonia fall under chapter X “Diseases of the respiratory system” in ICD-10 rather than chapter I “Certain infectious and parasitic diseases”. Deaths from ‘Diseases of the respiratory system’ are shown in the following table .

For a full breakdown of all causes of death categorised within ICD-10, please refer to chapter 6 of the Vital Events Reference Tables published by National Records of Scotland.

List of Data Tables | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk)

Table 1. Deaths from diseases of the respiratory system

The Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactures both Vaxzevria and Covishield, both branded vaccines are exactly the same COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine. All SII-made doses approved by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and administered in the UK were those branded as the ’COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca’ which is now known commercially as ‘Vaxzeria’. The MHRA has not approved doses branded as ‘Covishield’ and none were in administered in the UK.

All AstraZeneca vaccines given in the UK are the same product and appear on the NHS Vaccination status letter as Vaxzevria. The European Medicines Agency has authorised this vaccine and we are confident travel will not be affected.

Individuals can access the batch number of the vaccine they received in Scotland via a Subject Access Request from their GP.

Causes of death are categorised using the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10 th Revision (ICD-10). A link to this classification is available here: ICD-10 Version:2019 (who.int)

For more detail on what is mean by “certain infectious and parasitic diseases” please refer to the following page of the online ICD-10 manual.

ICD-10 Version:2019 (who.int)

The Scottish Cancer Registry, hosted by Public Health Scotland, collects information on registrations for primary cancers. It does not hold information on secondary cancers.

There is work ongoing to develop systems for the routine collection of secondary cancer data, including secondary breast cancer. However, validation of these systems would require clinical time that is being focussed on seeing patients as we continue to prioritise cancer in the NHS. Any national system for the routine collection of secondary breast cancer would take several years to produce the first tranche of data. The Scottish Government’s National Cancer Plan has committed up to £114.5m until March 2023 which will drive a range of improvements across all cancer services.

There are no plans to undertake a metastatic breast cancer audit. Officials continue to closely monitor all patients referred with an urgent suspicion of cancer in NHS Scotland to ensure they are seen and treated as timely as possible.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01706 on
‎ 24 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

Anyone who has received either their first or second dose of the vaccine in Scotland can access a physical copy of their record of vaccination. They can request their record for the dose received in Scotland via the helpline on 0808 196 8565 or the website www.nhsinform.scot/covid19status . We are working at pace to align vaccination records from different nations of the UK.

We regularly engage with people who are at highest risk from COVID-19 through surveys, in-depth interviews and testing communications. Earlier this year we spoke directly to people at highest risk who have returned to the workplace as restrictions eased, to understand their challenges and what guidance and support may be needed when restrictions ease. Most recently, we launched a survey about the move to level 0 and beyond which asks how people are feeling about those changes. The results will be published late summer.

Three Disabled People’s Organisations (Inclusion Scotland, Disability Equality Scotland and Glasgow Disability Alliance) were consulted on the easing of restrictions.

Throughout the pandemic we have been engaging with both carers and carer organisations to ensure unpaid carers have the advice they need to help protect themselves and their loved ones during the COVID-19 outbreak.