- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 28 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation in
the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Out of NHS area placements, that NHS Boards “develop and apply a set of discharge planning standards informed by
cross agency multi-professional groups and those with experience (carers and
people with experience of services) which focus on recovery and return to local
areas”.
Answer
We have developed core standards for mental health services with a focus on adult secondary services. These include transitions and outline an expectation that people will receive help as close as possible to home. The core standards also aim to reduce unnecessary delays in transitions and improve information sharing, including with carers and their families. The standards emphasise the importance of the continuity of care and the need for follow-up support after discharge. We will publish these standards shortly and we will work with our partners in the Standards Implementation Advisory Group to implement these.
The Scottish Government is committed to delivering the Coming Home Implementation Report recommendations to reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements and delayed discharges experienced by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs.
This includes working with the local bodies that have statutory responsibility for providing and commissioning services to ensure that the appropriate planning is in place for people who are receiving care and treatment in an out-of-area placement.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 28 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation in Mental
Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Out of NHS area placements, that there should be “standards from referral to transfer with involvement of those
receiving the care and treatment, their carers/family and those most important
to them (as appropriate) that outline the key steps required for an inclusive,
supported approach to planning an out of area placement”.
Answer
We have developed core standards for mental health services with a focus on adult secondary services. These include transitions and outline an expectation that people will receive help as close as possible to home. The core standards also aim to reduce unnecessary delays in transitions and improve information sharing, including with carers and their families. The standards emphasise the importance of the continuity of care and the need for follow-up support after discharge. We will publish these standards in Autumn 2023 and we will work with our partners in the Standards Implementation Advisory Group to implement these.
The Scottish Government is committed to delivering the Coming Home Implementation Report recommendations to reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements and delayed discharges experienced by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs.
This includes working with the local bodies that have statutory responsibility for providing and commissioning services to ensure that the appropriate planning is in place for people who are receiving care and treatment in an out-of-area placement.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 26 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a formal response to the
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Out of NHS area placements.
Answer
There are five recommendations for the Scottish Government in the report. These include improved data gathering, setting standards and funding for out of area placements. We will consider these recommendations in detail and provide a full response to the Mental Welfare Commission in due course.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 26 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the recent Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Out of NHS area placements.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomes the Mental Welfare Commission’s report and will carefully consider its recommendations in full.
We expect each NHS Board to have a clear understanding of their patient caseload, whether they are treated locally or elsewhere. Initiatives like our Coming Home Implementation Report makes clear it is essential that Scotland provides support and services in a way which ensures that human rights are respected and protected.
We continue to work in partnership with NHS Boards in order to ensure our NHS increases capacity, delivers reforms in the delivery of care, and gets everyone the treatment they need as quickly as is possible.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 26 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to
improve data quality on out of NHS area placements, in light of the recommendation
in the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Out of NHS area placements.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomes the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s report and will carefully consider its recommendations.
The Scottish Government has already taken action to address the gaps in data on out-of-area placements specifically for people with learning disabilities and complex care needs through the implementation of the recommendations made within the Coming Home Implementation Report.
This work is being carried out in partnership with COSLA and brings practitioners, professionals and people with lived experience together to progress these recommendations which aim to significantly reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements experienced by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs.
We launched Dynamic Support Registers across Scotland in May 2023 to improve monitoring of out-of-area placements and to help local areas to plan for people with learning disabilities and complex care needs. Integration Authorities are operationalising these local Dynamic Support Registers and will also report data from them using a new national reporting system.
The operation of Dynamic Support Registers by all Integration Authorities was agreed through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Scottish Government and COSLA.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2023
To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will consider writing off school meal debts, in light of reports of local authorities instructing sheriff officers to pursue families for unpaid school meal debts.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2023
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish updated details of its Learning Estate Investment Programme.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2023
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is regarding levels of attainment in Modern Studies in the most recent SQA exam results in Renfrewshire.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2023
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 31 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what happens when recipients of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland 2015 Fund return any unused funds for any reason, including death.
Answer
Unused recipient funds, including those in consequence of the death of recipients, are returned to ILF Scotland who in consultation with SG officials, decide whether to use it for spending priorities associated with ILF or to offset ILF Scotland’s monthly drawdown on its annual funding allocation. In the past funds have been used to cover the cost of Scottish Living Wage uplifts for personal assistants employed by ILF recipients, reductions in contributions from recipients towards the cost of their support and a Digital Transformation for ILF Scotland IT systems.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 31 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what portion of the funding allocation for the Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland, as agreed with the UK Government, has been spent by it on activity other than ILF in each year from 2016 to date.
Answer
Funding for the Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland is transferred each year to ILF Scotland to meet existing commitments to the current ILF population under the ILF Scotland policy framework. These policies are set by Ministers and can be found on the ILF website: ILF Scotland Policies | ILF Scotland .
The Scottish Government receives £53.3 million per year from the UK Government to help maintain support for the former ILF/UK population transferred in July 2015. The following table shows the funding allocated by SG to ILF Scotland annually since the first full financial year of 2016-17. In addition, the annual outturn of ILF Scotland can be found within their published accounts (linked here: ILF Scotland Annual Accounts )
Year | ILF Funding Allocation £’000 |
2016-17 | £48,515 |
2017-18 | £47,700 |
2018-19 | £46,220 |
2019-20 | £46,101 |
2020-21 | £49,923 |
2021-22 | £47,740 |
2022-23 | £47,724 |
