The Scottish Government has made it clear that people with learning disabilities and autism must be able to live independent in the community of their choosing. It is inappropriate for anyone with a learning disability and/or autism to remain in hospital when they are clinically appropriate to discharge.

In June 2020 the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport and the CoSLA Spokesperson for Health and Social Care established a short life working group to address the issue of long term delayed discharge for people with complex care needs as a result of their learning disability or complex and enduring mental health condition. The group is split into two work streams: one exploring options for future funding for this group of clients with very complex needs. The second work stream identifies and describes the processes required to avoid inappropriate admission to hospital, and supports the discharge from hospital of people with learning disabilities or enduring mental health difficulties, who are currently ready for discharge, but whose discharge is delayed.

The working group is due to report its findings in the autumn.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities, their families and carers and continues to work closely with Dr Anne MacDonald on taking forward the recommendations of her Report Coming Home: A Report on Out-of-Area Placements and Delayed Discharge for People with Learning Disabilities and Complex Needs.

In June 2019 the Minister for Mental Health wrote to Health and Social Care Partnerships seeking progress reports on what actions they had taken on the recommendations of the Coming Home report. The responses indicated that a number of the HSCPs have made some progress in commissioning new services in order to meet the support needs of people with learning disabilities and complex needs. There have also been improvements in crisis and risk management.

In December 2019 a workshop for Commissioners and Providers from 13 Health and Social Care Partnerships was held in Edinburgh, to look for solutions for those with complex needs. Plans to roll out regional workshops have been postponed due to the Coronavirus.

In June 2020 the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Community of Practice was launched which was one of the recommendations of the Coming Home report. It was the first of a of a series of webinars happening throughout the year. Over 400 people attended the launch.

A Postgraduate Certificate in PBS is currently being delivered to a cohort of 20 students. These are Learning Disability nurses, Speech & Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Social Workers. In addition to the Postgraduate Certificate, work is also ongoing in developing a Masters-level qualification.

In June 2020 the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport and the CoSLA Spokesperson for Health and Social Care established a short life working group (SLWG) to address the issue of long term delayed discharge for people with complex care needs as a result of their learning disability or complex and enduring mental health condition. Due to the need for rapid advice, the role, remit and membership of the SLWG was jointly agreed between Scottish Government and CoSLA.

The group is split into two work streams one exploring options for future funding for this group of clients with very complex needs. Membership of this group is limited to finance and procurement experts.

The second work stream was asked to identify and describe the processes required to avoid inappropriate admission to hospital, and to support the discharge from hospital of people with learning disabilities or enduring mental health difficulties, who are currently ready for discharge, but whose discharge is delayed. Membership of this work stream is much wider and has evolved to include experts on the issues discussed. Membership currently includes; social care providers, hospital and community based clinicians, specialist nurses, the Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities, Social Work Scotland, Housing Specialists, a carer, Health and Social Care Partnership commissioners.

For further information on the progress of the recommendations of the Coming Home report, I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-30746 on 4 August 2020. 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

Testing is available for everyone in Scotland who has symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

The Scottish Government have been working with Oil and Gas UK to understand their concerns and support their safe operation. In addition, Public Health Scotland have been working closely with Oil and Gas UK to provide expert public health advice in relation to offshore installations, and they have produced specific guidance on preventing and managing cases of COVID-19 on offshore installations.

At the current time, Public Health Scotland do not recommend that the Scottish Government supports testing of asymptotic workers prior to travel offshore. There are limitations of testing in the context of a disease with a 14 day incubation period, because it would not remove the risk of people incubating the disease becoming symptomatic while offshore.

On 17 May, new arrangements to significantly strengthen oversight of Scotland’s care homes were published ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-care-home-oversight/ ), with clinical and care professionals at NHS boards and local authorities having a lead role in the oversight for care homes in their area. This highlighted the important role that Health and Social Care Partnerships within Local Authorities play in this response. This is alongside the introduction of new powers that ensure swift intervention if care home residents are being put at risk due to service failings. This work provides support to every single care home across the country and takes a responsive, as well as preventative approach. It builds on work already in place, including the formal direction for NHS Directors of Public Health to take enhanced and urgent clinical leadership for care homes.

The R number is calculated for Scotland as a whole, and it is not possible to calculate this number for specific settings such as care homes. The SPI-M best estimate for the R number in Scotland is released in their consensus statements, which are available here when published:

https://www.gov.uk/search/all?organisations%5B%5D=
scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies&order=updated-
newest&parent=scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies .

In the consensus statement published on 24 July, SPI-M indicated that the R number for Scotland was between 0.6 and 1.0 on 8 July:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system
/uploads/attachment_data/file/903071/S0597_SAGE46_200708_SPI-M-O_Consensus_Statement_sent_to_SAGE_reissued.pdf .

The Scottish Government has written to all GPs in Scotland to advise them that they are not required to issue people who are exempt from the requirement to wear face coverings in shops, public transport and spaces where physical distancing is impossible with proof of their exemption. Proof of exemption does not need to be provided when in these settings.

As announced by the Cabinet Secretary on 18th May, from 25th May all care home staff, including non-nursing staff, have been offered weekly testing regardless of whether the care home in which they work has a COVID-19 case.

The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on the number of nurses working in the NHS who are employed by agencies.

I announced on 23 June that health care workers will now be routinely tested where the evidence tells us that it is appropriate to do so. All health care workers connected to a nosocomial outbreak (ie, outbreaks originating in a hospital) will be tested regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. We will also test, on a weekly basis, all staff working in specialist cancer units, in long-term care of the elderly, and in long-stay mental health wards. Boards were asked to start this additional testing by 8 July.

On 23 June, the Health Secretary announced that we are broadening testing of health care workers and now, all staff connected to a nosocomial outbreak will be tested regardless of if they have symptoms.

In addition, from 08 July, we will also test, on a weekly basis, staff working in specialist cancer units, in long term care of the elderly and in long stay mental health wards who are patient facing.