Chamber and committees

We are aware that there is emerging evidence that people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds may be disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Further research and reviews are still underway and we await the results of these.

Analysts across the Scottish Government, National Records Scotland, Public Health Scotland and the NHS are working together to consider how we can better understand the impact of Covid-19 on those from all minority ethnic communities.

The health and wellbeing of our health and social care staff is a key priority and we are aware that many BAME staff may be feeling anxious and wish to discuss how best to protect themselves and their families at this difficult time. Guidance has been issued to help staff and employers by setting out best practice on risk assessments and support that is available for staff across health and social care.

Interim Guidance for health and social care employers on staff from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Backgrounds

Once the results of further research and review on ethnicity and COVID-19 are published, we will consider any changes that need to be made to this guidance, based on any new clinical evidence.

Haematologists across Scotland continue to advise that shielding for every patient with a diagnosis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia is not necessary. There are significant downsides to shielding, and it is not something we want to ask of anyone unless clinical advice deems it necessary. CLL affects a very diverse group of patients. Some are unlikely to ever need treatment in their lives as it has no immediate impact on their health and others will require treatment.

Clinicians have been working locally to identify patients with CLL who are at the highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and therefore should be shielding. This is a clinical decision which takes into consideration any treatment and the overall health of the patient . Many patients with CLL will not be required to shield. We do not wish to advise anybody to follow shielding measures unless absolutely necessary. This is because shielding is a severe intervention which may be difficult to adhere to for such a long period of time, and the additional benefit gained from this extra measure needs to be weighed against any impact on someone’s mental and physical wellbeing.

MyCOPD is currently being assessed for potential usefulness to patients and services in Scotland as part of a managed service. It is part of the MymHealth apps and is commercially available to all UK citizens living with COPD Long Term Conditions provided they have access to Google and Apple stores.

Another MymHealth service MyHeart is also being assessed for potential usefulness to patients and services in Scotland.

While we are supportive of the public accessing certified apps for self-monitoring, patient to healthcare professional remote monitoring from home also remains a priority. As such, our remote monitoring service Florence is being utilised in areas across Scotland to support people with a variety of conditions such as COPD. This service is provided via simple SMS technology therefore is more accessible to those who do not have a smart phone, and its availability is based on local clinical priorities.

We have recently procured a new remote monitoring solution to support people who are diagnosed with COVID19. The InHealthCare solution, which will take the form of an app or be accessed via text or a website, will allow access to a suite of remote and self management materials to support people to manage their condition from home or from a homely setting as well as being able to provide regular updates on their condition.

The third sector also provide a crucial role in supporting people living with long-term respiratory conditions. Organisations such as the British Lung Foundation and Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland provide online resources tailored specifically for those living with or caring for someone with a long-term lung condition such as COPD. Further information can be found at British Lung Foundation: https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you and Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland: https://www.chss.org.uk/chest-information-and-support/ .

The information requested is available at i) NHS Workforce Data https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/NES-Publication/Equality_and_Diversity_S2019.xls

ii) Social Care Annual Workforce Data: https://data.sssc.uk.com/data-publications/22-workforce-data-report/216-scottish-social-service-sector-report-on-2018-workforce-data

The Scottish Government does not have access to this information as it held by the Health and Safety Executive which is reserved.

The total number of deaths in each health board where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate is published weekly by the National Records of Scotland https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats

Where a death is attributable to the workplace (within the terms set out by the HSE) it is RIDDOR reportable and HSE are the body responsible for carrying out any such investigation. Not all deaths of workers reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be attributable to workplace contracted Covid-19.

Where a death is RIDDOR reportable (and if the employer chose to investigate at its discretion), we would expect any local investigation to take place in line with usual policies and procedures and for the employer to comply with any other investigation i.e. the HSE investigation or an Fatal Accident Enquiry if it were announced.

The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to pilot a 4-day working week for its employees. We are scheduled to meet the recognised trade unions (PCS, Prospect, and FDA) later in the year for regular discussions on pay, and terms and conditions.

According to the latest estimate around 690,000 people in Scotland are providing regular unpaid care to family members, friends, neighbours or others, for one or more hours a week, and on a range of incomes. The Coronavirus Carer’s Allowance Supplement will be paid automatically alongside the June Carer’s Allowance Supplement to unpaid carers living in Scotland and receiving Carer’s Allowance on the qualifying date of 13 April 2020. Carers who have applications for Carer’s Allowance backdated to include the qualifying date of 13 April 2020 will also be eligible.

By investing £19.2 million, the Scottish Government will ensure that around 83,000 unpaid carers will receive the payment. We are taking receipt of Carer’s Allowance as a proxy for those carers who have the most intensive caring roles and who have some of the lowest incomes. The majority of Carer’s Allowance recipients will not benefit from the UK Government’s increase to Universal Credit.

We considered a range of mechanisms to provide additional support for unpaid carers. An additional payment of Carer’s Allowance Supplement was the only feasible option to deliver extra money to carers quickly. Creating a brand new benefit for carers or extending eligibility for Carer’s Allowance Supplement would take several months as a minimum. It would require significant resources from Social Security Scotland, and Social Security staff within Scottish Government, to develop new processes and build new systems. It would also need to be supported by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Department for Work and Pensions and Social Security Scotland are prioritising frontline delivery of existing benefits to support people on low incomes at this time. Adding an additional benefit would place strain on these operations when they are needed most and we could not guarantee support would be available from the Department of Work and Pensions when we needed it.

This information is not held centrally. It may be available on request from individual health boards.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS Boards are prioritising referrals to mental health services in line with local continuity plans. The Scottish Government does not hold data centrally regarding (a) how many and (b) what proportion of referrals to mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic have been identified as needing prioritised assessment.

Waiting times data on CAMHS and psychological therapies is published by Public Health Scotland each quarter and the September 2020 publication will report on April to June referrals.