Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-33459

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) psychiatrists, (b) psychologists, (c) primary mental health workers and (d) psychological therapists it employs in NHS (i) Grampian,(ii) Highland, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland and (v) Eileanan Siar.

a) The number of psychiatrists (WTE) employed by the requested NHS Boards, at September 2020, is set out as follows:

Board	WTE
Grampian	89.9
Highland	54.7
Orkney	0.0
Shetland	1.3
Eileanan Siar	2.1

b) The number of psychologists (WTE) employed by the requested NHS Boards, at September 2020, is set out as follows:

Board	WTE
Grampian	121.6
Highland	56.4
Orkney	6.2
Shetland	3.2
Eileanan Siar	1.0

c) Data is not held on ‘primary mental health workers’ within NES NHSScotland Workforce or Psychology Services Workforce data publications.

d) The number of psychological therapists (WTE) employed by the requested NHS Boards, at September 2020, is set out as follows:

Board	WTE
Grampian	10.8
Highland	12.4
Orkney	0.0
Shetland	0.0
Eileanan Siar	0.0

NES publishes data on 'child and adolescent psychiatry', 'forensic psychiatry', ‘general psychiatry', 'psychiatry of learning disability' and 'old age psychiatry' specialties in its NHSScotland Workforce publication. Figures for ‘psychiatrists’ presented here as total of these specialties.

NES publishes data on ‘Cognitive Behavioural Therapists’ and ‘Other Therapists’ in its Psychology Workforce publications. Figures for ‘psychological therapists’ presented here as total of these specialties.

Data sources:

NHS Education for Scotland Official Statistics release – NHSScotland Workforce Publication for Quarter ending 30 September 2020, published 1 Dec 2020: https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/workforce-official-statistics/nhsscotland-workforce/

NHS Education for Scotland Official Statistics release - Psychology Services Workforce in NHSScotland Publication for Quarter ending 30 September 2020, published 1 Dec 2020:

https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/workforce-official-statistics/psychology/publications/01-december-2020/

Question reference: S5W-33461

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many vacancies for (a) psychiatrists, (b) psychologists, (c) primary mental health workers and (d) psychological therapists in NHS (i) Grampian, (ii) Highland, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland and (v) Eileanan Siar have remained unfilled for six months or more.

a) Vacancy data is only available for consultant-grade psychiatrists. The number of consultant psychiatry posts (WTE) vacant for six months or more within the requested NHS Boards, at September 2020, is as follows:

Board	WTE
Grampian	1.0
Highland	7.0
Orkney	0.0
Shetland	1.0
Eileanan Siar	0.0

b) At September 2020, there were no psychology posts vacant for six months or more within the requested NHS Boards.

c) Data is not held on ‘primary mental health workers’ within NES NHSScotland Workforce or Psychology Services Workforce data publications.

d) At September 2020, there were no psychology therapy posts vacant for six months or more within the requested NHS Boards.

NES publishes data on 'child and adolescent psychiatry', 'forensic psychiatry', ‘general psychiatry', 'psychiatry of learning disability' and 'old age psychiatry' specialties in its NHSScotland Workforce publication. Figures for ‘consultant-grade psychiatrists’ presented here as total of these specialties.

NES publishes data on ‘Cognitive Behavioural Therapists’ and ‘Other Therapists’ in its Psychology Workforce publications. ‘Psychological therapists’ refers to the total number of vacancies in these specialties.

Data sources:

NHS Education for Scotland Official Statistics release – NHSScotland Workforce Publication for Quarter ending 30 September 2020, published 1 Dec 2020: https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/workforce-official-statistics/nhsscotland-workforce/

NHS Education for Scotland Official Statistics release - Psychology Services Workforce in NHSScotland Publication for Quarter ending 30 September 2020, published 1 Dec 2020: https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/workforce-official-statistics/psychology/publications/01-december-2020/

Question reference: S5W-33287

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the development of a communications campaign to promote the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Over the coming weeks and months we will be sending out information explaining what the vaccine is, how we are prioritising who gets the vaccine and what to expect when you are vaccinated. Our plans are dependent on a supply of approved vaccines becoming available, and also on us getting the full information about vaccine characteristics. All of our communications for people who will be invited to get a vaccination will be carefully tailored to meet the varying needs of the different groups and encourage maximum uptake.

Question reference: S5T-02576

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Question reference: S5W-33457

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 4 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many people waited more than 12 weeks for a referred psychiatric appointment in each month between March and November 2020 in NHS (a) Grampian, (b) Highland, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Eileanan Siar.

Question reference: S5W-33458

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 4 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many people waited more than 12 weeks for a referred CAMHS appointment in each month between March and November 2020 in NHS (a) Grampian, (b) Highland, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Eileanan Siar.

The table shows how many children and young people waited less than and more than 12 weeks to start treatment in CAMH services in each month between March 2020 and September 2020. Data for October 2020 and November 2020 are not yet available. The Scottish Government national standard is that 90% of children and young people should start treatment within 18 weeks of referral.

Table 1: The number of children and young people who waited less than and more than 12 weeks to start CAMHS treatment in each month between March and September 2020 in NHS (a) Grampian, (b) Highland, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Eileanan Siar.

Month	Patients Seen	0-12 weeks	12+ weeks
NHS Grampian
Sep-20	105	90	15
Aug-20	125	97	28
Jul-20	113	86	27
Jun-20	95	50	45
May-20	114	61	53
Apr-20	150	111	39
Mar-20	80	41	39
NHS Highland
Sep-20	94	68	26
Aug-20	50	32	18
Jul-20	54	40	14
Jun-20	43	32	11
May-20	45	35	10
Apr-20	42	39	3
Mar-20	32	24	8
NHS Orkney
Sep-20	5	1	4
Aug-20	6	4	2
Jul-20	*	*	*
Jun-20	*	*	*
May-20	*	*	*
Apr-20	*	*	*
Mar-20	9	8	1
NHS Shetland
Sep-20	7	6	1
Aug-20	6	3	3
Jul-20	*	*	*
Jun-20	*	*	*
May-20	*	*	*
Apr-20	*	*	*
Mar-20	*	*	*
NHS Western Isles
Sep-20	18	18	-
Aug-20	7	7	-
Jul-20	7	7	-
Jun-20	6	6	-
May-20	*	*	*
Apr-20	6	6	-
Mar-20	*	*	*

* Data are supressed to prevent disclosure, “-“ nil

Question reference: S5W-32657

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of people eligible for a flu vaccine in each NHS board area has (a) been invited for a vaccination and (b) received their vaccination to date.

Health Boards are aiming to vaccinate 2.4 million people by the end of January 2021. Current plans by Health Boards will result in 71% of all those eligible will be vaccinated by end of January 2021.

The Scottish Government has procured sufficient vaccines to vaccinate all those who are eligible, including the expanded groups, in line with our uptake assumptions.

Health Boards have estimated that 1,276,711 people will be vaccinated by the end of week commencing 2 November, or 52% of the total people who will receive the vaccine during this flu season.

Those who are clinically vulnerable, and over the age of 65 will have received a vaccine by the end of November as part of Phase 1 of the Seasonal Flu Programme. The process of issuing invitation letters to everyone in Phase 1 is well under way and almost everyone in this phase has already been invited for a vaccination.

It is anticipated those aged between 55 - 64 years will be invited to receive a vaccine in December as vaccine supplies allow.

The extended seasonal flu vaccination season main activities will finish by the end of February, however it will still be possible for some cohorts (e.g. pregnant women) to receive a vaccination until end of March 2021.

Question reference: S5W-33456

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 3 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were recorded as having died by suicide in each month between March and November 2020 in NHS (a) Grampian, (b) Highland, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Eileanan Siar.

Question reference: S5O-04848

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to improve the A83 at Rest and Be Thankful and A82 at Fort William.

Question reference: S5W-33455

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) psychiatrists, (b) psychologists, (c) primary mental health workers and (d) psychological therapists it considers should be in post in NHS (i) Grampian, (ii) Highland, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland and (v) Eileanan Siar in order to meet current demand.

The Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare. It is for each NHS Board to decide best how to utilise funding, facilities and staff while taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs.

The Scottish Government published the first Integrated National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan in the UK in December 2019. Developed in partnership with COSLA, the Integrated Workforce Plan sets out how health and social care services will meet growing demand to ensure the right numbers of staff, with the right skills, across health and social care services:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-health-social-care-integrated-workforce-plan/ .

Guidance to support local workforce planning was published alongside the Integrated Workforce Plan. This Guidance outlines a requirement for NHS Boards to produce workforce plans which describe how their workforce will meet local service requirements:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/
publication/2019/12/national-health-social-care-integrated-workforce-plan/documents/guidance/guidance/govscot%3Adocument/guidance.pdf .

Chamber and committees