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The Single Procurement Document (SPD) was published on 04 June 2025 with returns received on 09 July 2025.

NHS 24 current staffing levels are at their highest to date, enabling the strongest level of treatment capacity on record. So far this year, NHS 24 has successfully recruited 71 Call Handlers and 51 Clinical Supervisors.

Required workforce is based on detailed call forecasting and demand modelling, using historical winter data and current trends to predict patient demand, call durations, and staffing requirements. These inputs feed into an algorithm to calculate staffing levels required to meet service standards.

Geographical placement is not a primary consideration, as NHS 24’s national telephony system routes calls in real time to available staff across Scotland.

The statement on 13 November covered both winter preparedness and the broader work we have been undertaking on national planning. The timing reflects the Scottish Government’s strategic shift toward embedding surge and winter planning as a core year-round operational priority, rather than a discrete seasonal exercise.

The Scottish Government has not provided any specific funding to NHS boards to support testing for people who may have been affected by exposure to diethylstilbestrol.

Cervical screening is offered to women who live in Scotland and are aged between 25 and 64 years. The Scottish Government encourages all women to take up routine cervical screening appointments when invited.

Pregnant women who know that they were exposed in utero to DES should inform their obstetrician and be aware of the increased risks of ectopic pregnancy and preterm labour.

A broadened role for firefighters has the potential to deliver economic benefits in terms of reduced hospital visits from a broader preventative home safety visit and to deliver better health outcomes through co-responding to emergency medical incidents with the Scottish Ambulance Service.

The Scottish Government is providing an additional £500,000 funding in 2025-26 to improve access to neurodevelopmental support for children, young people and their families. In line with the National Neurodevelopmental Specification, such support is not dependent on a diagnosis of a specific neurodevelopmental condition, and is based on support needs.

Regarding FASD specifically, we have provided £216,500 of grant funding to the FASD Hub in Scotland which provides support, training and advice to families, carers and professionals supporting children affected by FASD.

We also provided the Fetal Alcohol Advisory Support and Training Team (FAASTT) with grant funding of £403,500 to allow the delivery of training to improve knowledge, attitudes and confidence in professionals working with individuals with FASD.

Both organisations have been allocated the same amount of funding in 2025-26.

The Scottish Government is taking a range of measures to strengthen transparency and accountability in public sector health and social care procurement.

Under the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, all public bodies are required to publish Procurement Strategies and Annual Procurement Reports, ensuring clear visibility of purchasing activity and performance. In addition, the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) portal provides a single national platform for advertising contract opportunities and awards, offering forward visibility of procurement pipelines for NHS Health Boards and other public sector authorities. PCS continues to play a central role in improving transparency, supporting supplier access, and enhancing accountability across the system.

To support continuous improvement, the Scottish Government has published its Procurement Strategy 2025-28, which emphasises greater openness, strengthened reporting, and collaborative working across government, Health Boards and wider public sector partners. Its four outcomes - Good for Society; Good for Businesses and Their Employees; Good for Places and Communities; and Open and Connected - form the strategic framework within which health and social care procurement operates.

These principles are further developed in the NHS Scotland Procurement Strategy 2024-28, which sets out specific commitments relating to governance, monitoring and reporting of procurement activity across health and social care services. National Procurement’s priorities within this strategy include enhanced data-driven decision-making, clearer performance metrics, and strengthened assurance processes aligned with NHS Scotland’s wider strategic framework.

Planned improvements include the deployment of advanced digital systems to provide end-to-end visibility of procurement activity, embedding ethical and sustainable procurement practices, and delivering measurable efficiency, social value and sustainability outcomes. Through these combined strategies and programmes, the Scottish Government is ensuring that transparency and accountability remain central to health and social care procurement across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a more equitable and accessible approach to the provision of equipment and adaptations. Our revised guidance on the Provision of Equipment and Adaptations is statutory guidance issued under Section 53 of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014. This means that responsibility for delivering it and assessing its impact rests with Integration Authorities.

This includes capturing data which evidences the value that effective and efficient community equipment and adaptation provision makes to the delivery of key service goals. However, to support national implementation of this guidance, the Scottish Government works closely with our national Equipment and Adaptations Network to support good practice and aid a more consistent approach to implementation.

A Lesson’s Learned report for winter 2024-25 was considered at the Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint Collaborative Response and Assurance Group meeting on 6 May 2025. This meeting agreed the approach for 2025-26 winter preparedness, marking the start of winter preparedness planning for 2025-26.

Today, the Culture Fair Work Task Force published its independent recommendations report. The report can be found here: www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806435074.