Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government understands the importance of protecting the funeral industry from the risk of infectious transmission of COVID-19 via contact with the deceased.

We have had, and continue to have, regular weekly discussions with the funeral industry in order that we may support them as best we can, including on PPE supplies and type and usage of body bags.

We have been working very closely with stakeholders from across the funeral industry to ensure they have access to the most up to date information relevant to them, including guidance from Health Protection Scotland, and information from the Royal College of Pathologists, which outlines the PPE required for care of the deceased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have proactively published our own guidance for funeral directors and burial and cremation authorities , which includes the use of appropriate PPE for infection control and usage of body bags, to further help these organisations manage their services during the current pandemic.

The Scottish Government is working at pace with the private sector to secure long term supply for the funeral industry, as well as for other non-public sector organisations which need to access PPE to deliver essential public services. To support funeral directors who need PPE immediately, we are putting in place arrangements to allow them to access health care supplies of PPE until a longer term solution is in place.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with the sector to ensure that we have a full understanding of their requirements in relation to PPE.

Scottish Government officials are working closely with Local Authorities to respond to the challenges presented by COVID-19, however the response of individual Local Authorities, including the potential stockpiling of body bags, is a matter for their discretion. Scottish Government Policy officials do not keep records of individual Local Authorities responses. As such this is a matter for Local Authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government has had, and will continue to have, regular weekly discussions with the funeral industry in order that we may support them as best we can, including on PPE supplies and type and usage of body bags. Organisations, including funeral directors, should continue to buy PPE using their normal procedures. However we are aware of concern within the industry over continued supply of PPE and are currently exploring options to ensure that those working in the death management sector can access the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need. The Scottish Government has been working to expand sources of supply of PPE and related items, such as sanitiser, and offers of help from business are actively encouraged.

More broadly, decisions on PPE should be led by the public health guidance, by existing local policies, and by local risk assessment if there is a risk of contamination. The Scottish Government has proactively published our own guidance for funeral directors and burial and cremation authorities , which includes the use of appropriate PPE for infection control and usage of body bags, to further help these organisations manage their services during the current pandemic.

The Scottish Government is working at pace with the private sector to secure long term supply for the funeral industry, as well as for other non-public sector organisations which need to access PPE to deliver essential public services. To support funeral directors who need PPE immediately, we are putting in place arrangements to allow them to access health care supplies of PPE until a longer term solution is in place.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with the sector to ensure that we have a full understanding of their requirements in relation to PPE.

Guidance on cultural requirements in advance of burial or cremation was published for religious organisations, faith and cultural groups on 6 April.

The Scottish Government published dedicated guidance for the funeral sector on 13 April 2020.

This included guidance for funeral directors and burial and cremation authorities . Separate guidance was also published on 13 April 2020 setting out the current restrictions on funeral services .

We are working with Health Protection Scotland to update and publish more detailed guidance for mourners and those attending funerals.

All guidance documents continue to be reviewed and updated as required, to ensure they reflect the most accurate information during the current pandemic.

The UK Chief Medical Officers (CMO) have listed the conditions which place individuals at the highest clinical risk from COVID-19 – those being ‘shielded’. We have now written to individuals in all of the groups who are being asked to shield, setting out the steps they should take to keep themselves safe and the support which is available to them.

Patients with these conditions who are not identified centrally are being identified through GPs and hospital clinicians. This process will be on-going and if people are newly diagnosed, or if clinicians feel it is required, they will continue to be added to the central list to ensure people can be supported to shield.

Given these mechanisms that are in place, an additional system of self-referral for people with these CMO listed conditions, similar to that in England, is not considered necessary.

People who are in the shielded group are able to access support through an SMS system or local phonelines. In addition to this a national helpline is available which will offer help to those who are over 70, disabled, require the support of mental health services, are pregnant or receive a flu jab for health reasons.

In response to the current challenging circumstances, I continue to have extensive discussions with the Chief Examiner. I made clear in my statement to Parliament on 19 March that given the scientific and health advice available at the time, there can be no exam diet in 2020. SQA is working to deliver a certification model to ensure that the achievements of young people are fairly recognised in the absence of the exam diet. This will be supported by the operation of a Post Results Service.

Given the arrangements that are being developed and put in place, there are no plans to hold any exams before the 2021 exam diet.

Transport Scotland continues to liaise with public transport operators to ensure appropriate social distancing measures are in place. We are engaging with bus operators, through CPT, to share the latest, updated health guidance and ensure we hear their ongoing concerns or queries. ScotRail's on-board staff are conducting daily monitoring on the numbers of passengers travelling to ensure social distancing is managed effectively. The Caledonian Sleeper has withdrawn the seating coach, with all passengers now allocated to berths with pre-booking required. CalMac has introduced a number of measures to reduce exposure including ceasing cash handling at ports and on smaller vessels and closing retail offerings. Similarly, Northlink has adopted processes from official guidelines and have implemented a range of disciplines to restrict crew interaction and to avoid contact with passengers onboard.

The ‘extremely high risk’ group criteria was approved by all four nations Chief Medical Officers having been informed by the Royal College of Physicians. People in this group are being advised to shield themselves within their households. We recognise this is a very onerous ask, and want to therefore ensure identification takes account of individual circumstances where possible.

Given the restrictive nature of shielding, not everyone with motor neurone disease (MND) needs to shield for clinical purposes, however clinicians can use their professional judgement to identify individuals who shielding would be in their best interest where necessary. We have issued specific guidance to NHS boards, Hospital Managers, Medical and Nursing directors to support them in this process.

In Scotland, as in England, this means people with MND may be advised to shield for example where they have additional complications, including respiratory, swallowing and speech difficulties.

We have published specific information for people with neurological conditions available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-tailored-advice-for-those-who-live-with-specific-medical-conditions/ .

Additionally we have set up a helpline (0800 111 4000) for those at increased risk who don’t have a support network, such as family or existing community support and people with MND can access this. This helpline can also be used by those in the shielding group who can’t get online.

While official data sources do not provide timely information on these types of financial payments, the Scottish Government is engaged through a wide variety of channels to keep abreast of the unprecedented challenges being faced by businesses to inform how we provide support to them. To that end we have increased our business support measures to £2.3 billion to ensure we can direct as much help as possible to those who need it most.

On 30 March, the Scottish Government announced a temporary pause to a number of national screening programmes. This suspension of these programmes will be reviewed after 12 weeks, or earlier if indicated by the evidence. Each screening programme has a board that is meeting virtually, on a regular basis, to continuously review when it would be appropriate and safe to restart each programme. Programmes will be restarted in a planned way to ensure everyone whose screening appointment has been cancelled is invited to be screened once the relevant programme restarts.

It continues to be important for those in between screening appointments or awaiting a rescheduled appointment to be aware of any symptoms or signs of the conditions screened for. More information on the symptoms of the conditions screened for, is available at http://www.nhsinform.scot/screening . Anyone having these symptoms should contact their GP practice.