Chamber and committees

Public Health Scotland collect and publish data on the coverage of health visitor first visits pertaining to each financial year. In 2019-20, of children who became eligible for their first health visitor review, coverage was 97.5% and in 2020/21 coverage was 97.2%.

Information for 2019/20 is available on the Public Health Scotland website in their Annual Report on Child Health Pre-School Review Coverage - https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/child-health-pre-school-review-coverage/child-health-pre-school-review-coverage-2019-to-2020/ .

The Annual Report on Child Health Pre-School Review Coverage for 2020/21 is not yet published but updated statistics on first visit coverage can be calculated using data published alongside the Public Health Scotland Infant Feeding Statistics - https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/infant-feeding-statistics/infant-feeding-statistics-financial-year-2020-to-2021/ . It should be noted that health visiting data from previous years are updated within each annual infant feeding publication, and can change slightly from earlier publications due to increased data completeness. This is mainly due to late submission of data rather than reviews being carried out very late.

Data up to and including August 2021 are available on the Public Health Scotland (PHS) wider impacts dashboard - https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-covid-wider-impact/ .

Public Health Scotland data does not show exactly when each review took place, only that an eligible child received the review. It is therefore not possible to say how many reviews took place between days 11 – 14 of a baby’s life (the agreed timeframe for the first visit). In determining the extent of coverage for the first visit, Public Health Scotland will calculate the percentage of eligible children who received the review by the time the data is extracted. Further detail on how coverage is calculated can be found within relevant Public Health Scotland publications.

Information regarding pregnant women currently in intensive care unit as a result of contracting COVID-19 or have been hospitalised and delivered their baby early is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and not yet publicly available. Public Health Scotland may be contacted and may be able to provide this information.

See S6W-04225 on 17 November 2021 for information regarding pregnant women admitted to intensive care during the period March 2020 to September 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 .

We continue to provide advice and support to pregnant women regarding the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination to allow them to make an informed choice.

Copies of the Public Health Scotland (PHS) leaflet: PHS COVID-19 Vaccine Important Information about pregnancy and breastfeeding leaflet and the RCOG information leaflet and decision aid have been supplied to all maternity and vaccination clinics across Scotland. The national leaflets, published by Public Health Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Immunisation Programme, are provided to those who are invited for vaccination are part of an established and quality assured process, with strong links and similarities to the programme in the rest of the UK. The PHS leaflet is available in a range of languages and alternative formats , including British Sign Language, Audio, Easy Read, Large Print, etc. People should be given the PHS and RCOG leaflets from maternity services before they attend for vaccination and are encouraged to read both leaflets. The PHS leaflet is updated/reprinted when any new data emerges.

The Scottish Government ensures there is accurate signposting to www.nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccinepregnancy for current guidance, and a range of resources have been distributed including posters and social media assets, alongside training webinars.

Community outreach and external resources like Badgernet (an online platform that allows pregnant woman access to maternity records and information) are regularly updated with relevant material.

Health Boards (HBs) are regularly supplied with relevant information and lines to use regarding receiving the vaccine when pregnant, and the following videos were pushed out to HBs to be shared locally Pregnancy 15 second video Fertility 15 second video

Prof Jason Leitch has touched on the recommendation that pregnant women should be vaccinated in two Podcasts. One with Young Scot and one with Jambo radio. Both podcasts were pushed out by Scottish Government and issued to the boards for them to use locally

The care experience survey programme, of which the Cancer Patient Experience Survey is part of, is due to be under review shortly to allow for the context of COVID-19.

The Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey is run in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support and is designed to be comparable with Cancer Patient Experience Surveys run in England and Wales. A change in methodology, such as altering the sampling frame, surveying people at different stages of treatment or surveying the relatives of those who have passed away, would result in survey results that are not comparable to the English & Welsh survey results. Such a change would require extensive consultation with stakeholders.

In order to capture the experience of patients with a less survivable cancer we are using tools such as Care Opinion and working with our third sector partners to collate best available evidence.

Since April 2015 the Scottish Government has provided funding to support the planting of over 1.85 million trees and the creation of more than 925 hectares of new urban woodlands to provide opportunities for people to use and enjoy their local woods.

Around £8 million a year is available to support tree planting and greening projects within the Central Scotland Green Network area.

The Scottish Government continues to work with, and provide funding to a range of partners including local authorities, to support them in responding to demand for better access to unban woods through their expansion and improved management. Examples of this partnership approach include the Clyde Climate Forest and initiatives such as the “Wee Forests” that will play a role in improving people’s health and well-being whilst also delivering on our climate change and biodiversity commitments.

During this Parliamentary term we are committed to consulting on ways to increase easily accessible, sustainably managed woodlands, including native woodlands, in urban or peri-urban areas, as part of a just transition. Understanding the benefits currently being delivered under the Woods in and Around Towns scheme, and how best to build on them, will form an important part of that conversation.

During the period March 2020 to September 2021 there were 99 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in pregnancy that were associated with a critical care admission.

However, Public Health Scotland note that general or critical care admission may be unrelated to COVID-19, for example for delivery of her baby or for an injury. Alternatively, women may be incidentally found to have COVID-19 following routine testing on admission for an unrelated reason.

Information regarding pregnant women currently in intensive care unit as a result of contracting COVID-19 or have been hospitalised and delivered their baby early (S6W-04226 and S6W-04227 on 17 November 2021) is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and not yet publicly available. Public Health Scotland may be contacted and may be able to provide this information.

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

The national pancreatic cancer audit is an NHS England initiative and Scotland participates in UK audits (Scottish Cancer Registry data is provided by Public Health Scotland). The Scottish HepatoPancreatoBiliary Network (SHPBN) has reported HepatoPancreatoBiliary (HPB) cancer audits annually since 2010. The 2013-2019 audits are based on quality performance indicators, including some specific to pancreatic cancer. The annual audit reports are available on the SHPBN website. The 2020 audit report is currently in progress.

Through the National Cancer Plan we have placed an emphasis on the less survivable cancers, including pancreatic, and improving their outcomes. We have provided funding and are working with the SHPBN to redesign pancreatic and liver pathways.

We will continue to provide advice and support to pregnant women regarding the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination to allow them to make informed choices.

Multiple resources across platform and in print, like the Public Health Scotland (PHS) leaflet: PHS COVID-19 Vaccine Important Information about pregnancy and breastfeeding leaflet will continue to be updated/reprinted when any new data emerges. The PHS leaflet is supplied to all maternity and vaccination clinics across Scotland.

Community outreach and the use of external platforms (like Badgernet and messaging through resources like podcasts), will continue to be identified and used where appropriate.

NHS resources are frequently updated allowing us to regular signpost pregnant women and their families for current guidance: www.nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccinepregnancy .

Additional resources like posters, social media assets, and training opportunities will continue to be considered regularly going forward, and how best they can be employed for maximum outreach.

Information regarding pregnant women who have been hospitalised as a result of having contracted COVID-19 have delivered their baby early is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and not yet publicly available. Public Health Scotland may be contacted and may be able to provide this information.