Chamber and committees

It has been agreed that some patients based in Tayside and receiving radiotherapy for breast cancer will have to travel for their treatment to their next nearest cancer centre, in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen. Patients required to travel will be fully supported, with travel and accommodation costs covered by the Health Board.

NHS Tayside have been working closely with Oncology teams across all four Cancer Centres in Scotland to ensure that patients in need of treatment are prioritised appropriately. Discussions about mutual aid have taken place between Chief Executives and Medical Directors and the national oncology taskforce is looking at national approaches to the management of oncology.

The mutual aid provided has been agreed on the basis that there will be no adverse impact on patient care in NHS Grampian.

It is not possible to undertake an assessment of the impact on emissions from road vehicles as a direct result of the reduced ScotRail timetable. There is not specific data available on any change in road vehicle kilometres that could be attributed to reduced rail services.

Transport trends data since 16 May 2022 show a fall in rail travel of 14% and an increase in concessionary bus patronage and car use, both by 1% in the same period.

Following the pause on all adult screening programmes in March 2020, due to COVID-19, the Scottish bowel screening programme resumed issuing home testing kits from 12 October 2020. All those who were due to be sent a bowel screening kit during the pause were sent one after the programme restarted.

Bowel screening continues to operate in line with pre-COVID performance; the same number of invitations are being issued. However, because of COVID-19, individuals have been receiving their bowel screening kits 6 months later than in previous screening rounds. This is likely to continue until the end of the year, at which point all screening kits will go back to being issued 2 yearly as in the pre-Covid period. It should be stressed that invitations for first screenings (which are issued to participants as they turn 50 and become eligible for the programme) have continued to be sent out on time since the programme restarted and have not been affected by the pause.

As test kits are posted nationally, there is no variation on delays across the programme, and therefore it is not possible to provide figures broken down by Health Board.

We continue to emphasise the importance of being aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer, and to report any concerns to a GP as soon as possible so that these can be investigated. More information on the symptoms of bowel cancer can be found on the NHS Inform website at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/cancer/cancer-types-in-adults/bowel-cancer#signs-and-symptoms-of-bowel-cancer

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-08784 on 14 June 2022. 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

From the outset, the Scottish Government’s decision-making on the COVID-19 vaccination programme has been guided by the expert advice provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and senior clinicians.

It is presently anticipated that spring boosters will continue to be offered to those currently eligible according to JCVI guidance until 30 June 2022. On 19 May 2022 the JCVI issued interim advice regarding the autumn 2022 COVID-19 boosters.

Prioritising those most at risk has been our approach from the outset. The JCVI interim advice is to offer the autumn 2022 vaccination to the following individuals:

Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults;

Frontline health and social care workers;

All those 65 years of age and over; and

Adults aged 16 to 65 years in a clinical risk group.

This is based on an ongoing review of all the available evidence including infection rates, hospitalisation, mortality data and evidence of vaccine waning.

There is a clinical referral route available for clinicians to refer anyone who they identify as requiring additional dose(s) of vaccine or a different dosing schedule for clinical reasons (in keeping with eligibility as recommended by JCVI), on a case by-case-basis.

This is interim advice and the JCVI will continue its ongoing review and provide the eligibility criteria for the autumn 2022 booster in the near future and we stand ready to implement any further decisions on eligibility made by the JCVI.

The R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) is a key strand of R100 programme delivery. As of May 2022, 1,847 properties on Shetland were eligible for a voucher worth up to £5,000 through the R100 SBVS.

As of May 2022, 33 applications had been received for properties located in Shetland for the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme’s interim voucher, which offers up to £400 to secure a temporary superfast connection. Twenty six of these vouchers have been issued so far.

A total of 4 applications have been received for the R100 SBVS main voucher which offers up to £5,000 to secure a permanent superfast connection. Three of these vouchers have been issued so far.

We are pleased to have funded the significant 50% discount through the scheme since 2016, helping residents of our remote and island communities that rely on these connections. We anticipate over £10 million of discounts being provided in 2022-23 and believe that this substantial expenditure is an important investment in islands connectivity. We currently have no plans to increase the discount rate for the Air Discount Scheme.

The expenditure on local adoption of GP DACS is not currently monitored at a national level given the variation in different approaches and systems that are currently in use for online triage and asynchronous consultations. We expect to develop a clearer picture of this as we develop the approach to national GP DACS.

As outlined in my reply to your letter dated 28 April 2022, I can assure you that the Scottish Government takes the security of patient information and data extremely seriously. I can confirm that there are robust Digital Security and Governance procedures that apply to any procurement activity within the NHS. Local NHS boards or practices are responsible for compliance in the form of a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) and System Security Policy (SSP).

I can also advise that all Health Boards in Scotland have been advised of the national approach being taken to the provision of a 'once for Scotland' GP DACS. Boards are aware that a national steering group is overseeing this development and has established a ‘pathfinder’ approach to better understand the level of demand, market maturity and benefits and impact before seeking to agree a national approach. Guidance will be developed and issued as part of the pathfinder programme.

As part of the pathfinder programme guidance will developed and issued to NHS Boards on GP DACS. However, I should clarify that Near Me is not an asynchronous model (as it only provides real-time video consultations) and that AskMyGP has been procured at a local level and does not fall under the remit of the national programme.

The expenditure on local adoption of GP DACS is not currently monitored at a national level given the variation in different approaches and systems that are currently in use for online triage and asynchronous consultations. We expect to develop a clearer picture of this as we develop the approach to national GP DACS.