Chamber and committees

Local health and social care systems are in the process of finalising their winter plans. On 5 October, an additional £5 million was announced to support winter planning and enhance resilience across the services.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-11520 on
13 October 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The seasonal and child flu vaccination programmes start on
1 October each year. In the months prior to this, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) letters, for both the seasonal and child flu vaccination programmes, are issued to all GP Practices setting out the arrangements for the flu season ahead. This includes asking GP Practices to take action to ensure as many people as possible are vaccinated early in the season, and before flu viruses begin to circulate. Further, it provides details of the public facing materials that each GP Practice will receive to support the programmes and help raise awareness and encourage uptake of the flu vaccine.

The Scottish Government takes bullying very seriously. Bullying of any kind, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic, is unacceptable and must be addressed quickly whenever it arises.

We want all children and young people to be included fully in their learning and for all children and young people to learn tolerance, respect, equality and good citizenship to address and prevent prejudice. All schools and local authorities should have anti-bullying policies in place and it is vital that local authorities and teachers challenge any homophobic and abusive behaviour in our schools.

Bullying of any kind is entirely unacceptable and must be addressed swiftly and effectively whenever it arises in schools. That’s why it is crucial for all schools and local authorities to have anti-bullying policies in place.

respectme, Scotland’s anti-bullying service is fully funded by the Scottish Government to provide direct support to local authorities, youth groups and all those working with children and young people to build confidence and capacity to address all types of bullying effectively.

The refreshed national anti-bullying guidance will be published in the coming months.

The members of the SPA are appointed by Scottish Ministers as set out in the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 ('the Act'). These appointments must be made on the basis of merit. This is a requirement of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland who regulates appointments to the SPA Board. Under the Act the SPA can co-opt persons on to its Committees. This might be appropriate where a particular level of skills or expertise is needed. Such an arrangement is for the SPA to consider.

The number of elected councillors involved in local scrutiny of policing has increased significantly as a result of reform, with Local Scrutiny Committees holding Police Scotland to account across the country and regional engagement meetings between Police Scotland and Local Scrutiny Committees providing direct accountability for the performance of policing in local areas.

The Scottish Government is aware that Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnerships recently reorganised their community nursing service to deliver improved continuity of care to their patients. We are aware that due to a number of staff retirements there was a period of pressure placed upon the community nursing service following the reorganisation, however all resulting vacancies have now been recruited.

More broadly we have recently published Part 1 of the National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan, which will strengthen and harmonise workforce planning practice, take full account of the future demand for safe and high quality services for Scotland’s people and work to accurately identify gaps in supply, including within the nursing workforce.

Parts 2 and 3 of the Plan, to be published later in 2017, will examine how to improve integrated workforce planning in social care and primary care settings. These important steps will enable different health and social care systems to move together towards publication of a second full Health and Social Care Workforce Plan in 2018 and beyond.

The figures referred to were released under a local FOI request. And while this cannot be verified by the Scottish Government’s Information Services Divisions, I am aware NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council's Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) has commissioned a bespoke early intervention support service for children and young people affected by their own or another's substance misuse. This is an open access service operating across each locality of Borders accepting self-referrals and professional referrals from a wide range of services including Police, Education and Hospital staff. Within the hospital, there is a substance misuse liaison service working to connect those who attend or are admitted to the hospital with the community based support needed to successfully address alcohol problems. In addition, the ADP provides an adult treatment service also available for young people over the age of 16 who require more intensive support.

Nationally, the Scottish Government has taken forward a range of actions around children and young people through Changing Scotland's relationship with Alcohol: A framework for Action. The Framework is currently being refreshed and will focus on further embedding and developing measures that have already been put in place.

The Framework has included improved substance misuse education in schools through the Curriculum for Excellence, improved identification of and support for children affected by parental substance misuse and support for diversionary activities. We have also imposed the mandatory ‘Challenge 25’ condition on off-licenses making it harder for underage drinkers to access alcohol, as well as making it an offence to give alcohol to children or young people in a public place.

Our commitment to establish the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency will help focus action on the needs of that area. The Agency will drive inclusive growth, support communities and capitalise on people and resources. We are working with stakeholders from across further and higher education to develop proposals. In advance of the statutory arrangements, we will establish an interim South of Scotland Economic Partnership by the end of the year.

The establishment of the Agency is in addition to our Scotland-wide investment in skills which also benefits the workforce in the Borders, including Scottish Government investment of £1.6 billion a year in Scotland's further and higher education sectors. The Scottish Funding Council and Skills Development Scotland along with Scottish Enterprise develop Regional Skills Assessments to provide a single, agreed evidence base on which to base future investment in skills.

Local decisions about the deployment of police officers are an operational matter for Police Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting Police Scotland. We are demonstrating that commitment by protecting the police resource budget in every year of the current Parliament and by committing £61 million of reform funding in 2017-18. Across Scotland officer numbers remain over 1000 higher than in 2007.