Chamber and committees

Following a desktop review of all NHS Scotland properties suspected to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, NHS Scotland Assure is preparing a paper on options to proceed with discovery surveys. The timeframe for completion of the survey programme is dependent on the start date of the surveys and the survey option chosen.

The Scottish Government does not have any plans to determine the number of social care settings that may be affected. Local authorities have responsibility for provision of social care services and therefore the contracts with relevant providers. Building safety is a matter for the owner of the building.

Permitted development rights (PDR) apply to, amongst other things, the demolition of buildings, including public houses.

Our PDR review is ongoing. We consulted in 2019 on what we considered to be the priority areas for the review. The fourteen development types identified at that stage did not include demolition. A programme for a phased review of development types was then established. This programme is itself subject to periodic review as circumstances and priorities change.

The main focus of the current Phase 3 consultation is new and extended PDR for domestic and non-domestic renewable energy equipment, in light of the cost and climate crises.

Yes. The £2m programme awarded in 2021, managed by Scottish Centre for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) went live with an initial £600,000 “digital pioneers” project funding call in April 2023. More information on the programme can be found here - https://tec.scot/programme-areas/digital-inclusion .

Video appointments are an option across social work in Scotland via Near Me, through the Scottish Government’s purchase of a national licence for the use of Near Me by any part of the public sector that wishes to use it. Work continues supporting the social work sector on considering how and when video appointments work best, for example in accessing out of hours support. This work includes a funded and expert-supported programme in Fife HSCP (Health and Social Care Partnership) to establish use cases and develop pathways by the end of the year.

A series of improvements have been implemented to NHS inform allowing for more dynamic, mobile-first content structures. These improvements allowed the Digital Mental Health Programme to test a range of content layouts to incorporate more video, imagery and interactive guides within the existing content templates. This work will also have wider benefits including a reduction in costs and time savings as content for NHS inform is maintained and developed.

Yes – re-procurement of the technology that powers the Near Me service was completed as scheduled with a Framework contract signed in March 2023 for 3 years. The framework will continue to run live services with no disruption to existing services as the platform will remain the same.

The Scottish Government will publish the British Sign Language National Plan 2023 – 2029 by 31 October 2023, as per our duties as set out by the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015.

The workforce model has been developed in response to the growing demand for digital mental health services. The model consists of additional clinical and administrative staff that will improve local expertise on digital mental health, provide in-house support for patients and support the future delivery needs of these services. Discussions on the recruitment to digital therapy teams in Boards are underway.

The Scottish Government published the responses to the consultation on the Data Strategy for Health and Social Care, and the analysis of those responses in November 2022.