Chamber and committees

Our Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland is under development with work being taken forward with a wide range of stakeholders across the respiratory community and third sector.

The Plan will set out the main priorities to support NHS Boards in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our expectation is to publish in late 2019.

We expect all clinicians, including GPs, to keep up to date with guidance, learning resources, medical advancements, the latest research and emerging treatments, as part of their continuing professional development - which includes the Scottish Good Practice Statement.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland has responsibility for developing quality standards.

In the development of our Respiratory Care Action Plan all aspects of respiratory care are being considered including discussing quality standards for respiratory conditions with Healthcare Improvement Scotland .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22686 on 14 May 2019. 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 .

Increasing awareness amongst health care professionals of the symptoms of Lyme disease is an on-going priority for the Lyme Borreliosis Group, which is part of the Scottish Health Protection Network (SHPN). The group has produced a suite of educational resources to aid health care professionals in the early detection and treatment of Lyme disease which can be accessed here:https://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/education-and-training/by-theme-initiative/public-health/health-protection/gastrointestinal-infection-and-zoonoses/ticks-and-lyme-disease.aspx

On 14 June 2019 the Chief Medical Officer wrote to all NHS Health Boards and GP practices highlighting the availability of these resources to staff and in February 2019, the SHPN hosted a clinician focussed, national Lyme disease educational event.

The majority of Lyme disease cases can be diagnosed and treated in primary care without the need for specialist input, however where specialist input is needed such cases would be cared for by Infectious Disease Consultants.

We will work closely with the third sector to deliver measureable improvements in mental health outcomes for children and young people across Scotland through the implementation of the Taskforce recommendations. This work will be taken forward by a new implementation board – the Children & Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme Board - and an invitation has been extended to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) to nominate a representative to sit on the Board who they believe can adequately address the interest of all their members.

In addition, the membership of the Mental Health Strategic Delivery Board takes into account the full range of partners involved in the delivery of mental health services. This includes third sector organisations such as Penumbra, SAMH and VOX Scotland. Details on the full membership of the Board will be published in due course.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone in Scotland has equal access and support from mental health services. Through the establishment of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce and the Youth Commission on Mental Health, we have significantly prioritised the mental health of young people since 2017.

Following the publication of the Taskforce’s delivery plan in December the, Scottish Government announced additional investment of £4m to improve access to CAMHS and to support the development of prevention and early intervention services.

As we take forward the final recommendations of the Taskforce and the Youth Commission we will give particular priority to the needs of those groups of young people at risk of not being able to access mental health services. This work will be progressed by the new Programme Board announced on 4 th July 2019.

Our 10 year mental health strategy has been assessed for equalities impact and we will publish a refreshed equalities impact assessment in the next month, which includes updated analysis of poverty, race and age. We will make use of this analysis to inform our future Mental Health Strategy approach.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, welcome the recommendations of the Children and Young People’s Taskforce and are grateful for the significant amount of work and thinking that has gone into their preparation. The inaugural meeting of a new Programme Board that will lead on the implementation of these recommendations, including national CAMHS and Neurodevelopmental Service standards which incorporate acceptance criteria for CAMHS and Neurodevelopmental Services, will take place in August 2019.

The Scottish Government is investing £54 million over 4 years (2016-2020) to support NHS Boards to improve access to services and develop the workforce. This includes £24.6 million to NHS Education for Scotland for investment to enhance supply and training of the workforce to deliver evidence-based psychological therapies. This programme of training for the CAMHS and Psychological Therapies workforce and wider service staff is being delivered in each Integrated Joint Board/NHS Board in evidenced-based interventions, supervision and coaching, along with a contribution to backfill costs to enable staff release.

Recruitment of specific mental health practitioners is a matter for employers such as NHS boards and Local Authorities. These bodies make informed decisions about recruiting existing counsellors and psychotherapists or training new mental health practitioners, according to the needs of local service providers. The Scottish Government expects employers to apply standards which are appropriate to the specialism being recruited for.

The Scottish Government is committed to ending homelessness in Scotland. This is why the five year Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan was developed and published in November 2018. The plan sets out how national and local Government, along with third sector partners, are working to prevent rough sleeping and homelessness in the first place and address this when it does happen.

Our focus on prevention in recent years, through five regionally grouped Housing Options Hubs, has contributed to a significant reduction in homelessness applications. It is vital that we build on this progress in order to achieve our ambition to end homelessness and the Action Plan sets out a wide range of measures we are undertaking to help prevent people becoming homeless. An important way of doing this is ensuring the right tenancy sustainment support is available at the right time and we will work with the Scottish Housing Regulator to progress this work.