Work is underway to look into this issue, and officials are engaging with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and other stakeholders to scope the issues involved and to consider the most appropriate and proportionate next steps. Discussions with first aid providers or the hospitality and events sector have not taken place at this stage.

The number of vaccines distributed to people living in Scotland for the outlined immunisation programmes is monitored by Public Health Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally. Vaccination statistics in Scotland are publicly reported as outlined below. Due to differences in eligibility since 2018-19 and changed reporting systems used across programmes, it is not possible to directly compare uptake percentages between years.

(a) Flu - Flu & COVID vaccinations

(b) DTaP/IPV, (c) MMR https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20562

(d) Td/IPV, (e) MenACWY, https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/teenage-booster-immunisation-statistics-scotland/

(f) HPV : https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/hpv-immunisation-statistics-scotland/ and HPV vaccination statistics for men who have sex with men, Scotland - 5 year period ending 30 June 2022 - HPV vaccination statistics for men who have sex with men, Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland

(g) COVID-19 Archived COVID-19 Vaccination in Scotland up to September 2022

The Scottish Government welcomes the latest statistics publication from Public Health Scotland that reported a small improvement in screening uptake in the most deprived areas in comparison to last year. However, we recognise that there is still work to be done to ensure that screening uptake in the most deprived areas continues to increase.

Over 2021-22 and 2022-23, we provided £2 million towards projects that tackled inequalities within the cancer screening programmes. In 2023-24, an additional £1 million will be provided to build on this work. The Scottish Government has also helped support the development of a National Screening Equity Strategy that will consider the main causes of inequalities and will outline initial actions to address barriers and facilitate access of underserved groups. This strategy is due for publication this summer. More generally, the breast screening modernisation programme board will be taking forward the recommendations from a major review of breast screening, which will address screening uptake as a whole.

With regard to breast cancer quality performance indicators, Public Health Scotland are responsible for publication and are best placed to advise further.

Scottish Government launched the Neonatal Expenses Fund (NEF) in April 2018 to help support parents to be able to spend as much time with their babies as possible, while they were receiving care within a neonatal unit.

Scottish Government increased funding in July 2021 to form the Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF), which subsumed the NEF to create a single unified fund. This new commitment extended support to families of children and young people receiving inpatient care up to age 18.

The fund is demand-led and the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring sufficient funding to NHS Boards to support all valid YPFF claims. Budgets for both funds are as set out in the following table.

Scottish Government has provided free multi-vitamins to all pregnant women, for the duration of their pregnancy, since April 2017. Annual costs are set out in the following table.

The Scottish Government has made a 14.5% pay offer to Junior Doctors covering the period of 2022-24. This represents a £61.3 million investment in junior doctor pay - the largest in the last 20 years and the best offer in the UK. This will be funded from within the Health and Social Care budget.

The deposit return scheme is a major undertaking for businesses, bringing very significant environmental and economic benefits. Accordingly, we have regularly consulted with a wide range of businesses, trade associations, the scheme administrator, and other organisations as part of the decision making process.

The suite of impact assessments has been updated to reflect the draft regulations laid in May 2023, and as part of this, the Scottish Government has produced a supplementary analysis to the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment. This document includes the economic impacts of the amendments to the scheme announced in April. We will publish updated impact assessments in due course.

Extending digital connectivity is vital to communities, businesses and public services. That is why the Scottish Government strategy, A changing nation: how Scotland will thrive in a digital world , sets out a series of measures to ensure that Scotland will fulfil its potential in a constantly evolving digital world.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/a-changing-nation-how-scotland-will-thrive-in-a-digital-world/pages/foreword/

As part of this there is work to improve and extend Scotland's broadband and mobile networks as enabling citizens, including care home residents, to access and use digital services is a national priority with established principles.

Health and Social Care Standards

The Health and Social Care Standards, which set out what people should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland, includes a range of standards about ensuring that people remain connected. This includes standard 5.10:

“If I experience 24 hour care, I am connected, including access to a telephone, radio, TV and the internet.”

The Standards are taken into account by the Care Inspectorate in relation to inspections, and registration, of social care services.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-social-care-standards-support-life

To support good practice, the Care Inspectorate have published quality illustrations statements in this area for adult care homes:

“People have easy access to the internet and a telephone and are routinely and actively supported to make best use of these. This includes space to have private conversations.”

“People are unable to stay connected as providers have not taken steps to minimise the impact of poor access to technology or areas where there is limited Wi-Fi or phone signal.”

“While there may be access to telephone and the internet, people are not routinely or actively supported to use these or cannot do so in private.”

“People benefit from options to keep connected using technology such as radio, phone, TV and the internet.”

Care Home design guide

The Care Inspectorate have published “Care Homes for Adults – The Design Guide” which provides advice on the design, planning and construction considerations for new or converted care homes for adults. This sets out expectations around internet access in care homes:

“Internet access must be sufficient to enable residents to retain contact with friends and relatives, as well as for recreational use such as music and video streaming or watching live events. It is also a necessary area for contact with professionals such as GPs through Near Me consultations, and for staff to maintain digital records”.

https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/publications-statistics/30-professionals-registration/professionals-guidance/6583-care-homes-for-adults-the-design-guide

Technology good practice guide

From a technology enabled care perspective, the Care Inspectorate’s recent publication “Using technology and digital devices to make a positive impact on health and wellbeing for people experiencing care” highlights how access to digital connection is becoming essential for everyone’s health and wellbeing. This publication supports improvement through quality illustrations, case studies and a toolkit of resources. The guide can be accessed at:

https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/publications-statistics/76-professionals-registration/resources

During the pandemic

As part of the Digital Approaches in Care Homes programme launched during the pandemic, in November 2020, Scottish Government offered all care homes in Scotland digital devices for use by and with residents, as well as MiFi devices (internet connectivity dongles) with free data for up to two years for those homes with no, or partial, Wi-Fi coverage. 1034 (75%) of care homes accepted the offer of devices, and 45% the offer of MiFi devices (9% had no Wi-Fi, 36% partial only). All care homes were contacted by email and telephone to ensure the offer was received. Of the 25% of care homes that rejected the offer, the majority stated that they had both the devices and connectivity required at the time.

A recent survey by SCVO (March 2023) has established that 76 MiFi connections are still in use by 54 care homes, and remains their primary internet connection for residents. The Digital Social Care Portfolio Board has endorsed the extension of the initial offer of free data to December 2023 to allow the care homes the time to migrate to more sustainable internet connection solutions. The MiFi devices offer the fastest possible connection available via mobile telephony (3G/4G/5G) depending on the reception available in the area.

Reaching 100% (R100) programme

Through the Reaching 100% (R100) programme the Scottish Government is ensuring that all homes and businesses can access superfast broadband. This is delivered through three strands of activity – the £600 million R100 contracts, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) and continued commercial coverage. Property owners and residents can see what the R100 programme will mean for them by visiting www.scotlandsuperfast.com .

The R100 contracts are proceeding at pace and have connected over 22,400 premises with a further 5,700 connected as a consequence of contractual overspill and at no extra cost to the Scottish Government. Over 3,100 premises have also been connected through the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme.