Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-22423

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the support available for dependent drinkers.

The Scottish Government provides funding to support our local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) who are responsible for the design and delivery of treatment and recovery pathways at the local level. They ensure a full range of recovery services are available such as aftercare, detox, residential rehabilitation and psychosocial treatments.

In 2022-23, £106.8 million was made available to ADPs, and nationally there is ongoing work including the expansion of our residential rehabilitation capacity by 50% by the end of the current Parliament and the UK Alcohol Treatment Guidelines which are currently out for public consultation until 8 December 2023.

Scottish Government also provides funding towards specific projects that support those with alcohol dependency, such as the Managed Alcohol Programme pilot being delivered by Simon Community Scotland in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-22426

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to reduce stigma around alcohol misuse, in light of reported concerns regarding people being reluctant to seek help due to a fear of any consequences of doing so.

We are aware that stigma can act as a barrier preventing people from seeking treatment. This is why we are taking actions to reduce the stigma around alcohol misuse.

For example, last year we ran a national campaign to increase people’s awareness that a drug or alcohol problem is a health condition, which requires help and support and not judgement. We also referenced stigma on the NHS Inform website , which reinforces the message that a drug or alcohol problem is a health condition requiring help.

In addition, we published a cross-government Stigma Action Plan , aimed at tackling the stigma of substance use. We are working with a range of partners and stakeholders to co-design the next phase on the details of the actions outlined in the plan.

We also welcome the ‘See Beyond, see the lives’ campaign , which recognises the importance of supporting the families of people with problem substance use, who are often stigmatised and excluded from support, despite experiencing harms in their own right. In delivering the actions in our stigma action plan we will work with families to ensure that we can tackle the specific types of stigma that they experience both in accessing services and support and in daily life.

Moreover, we are planning to ensure treatment standards for alcohol, informed by the UK-wide clinical guidelines, will introduce new approaches to treatment, including non-stigmatising service delivery.

Question reference: S6O-02701

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle the reported record levels of homelessness in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-21998

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16001 by Kevin Stewart on 24 March 2023, whether it will provide an update on how many health and social care partnerships have implemented its guidance on the provision of wheelchairs on free, short-term loan.

Question reference: S6W-21999

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates its guidance on the provision of wheelchairs on free, short-term loans will be fully implemented.

Question reference: S6W-21951

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps have been taken to address reported whistleblower concerns regarding risk of harm to staff and patients at NHS Forth Valley.

NHSScotland supports and encourages an environment where those working in our health service feel confident to raise any concerns they may have, in the knowledge that these will be treated seriously, and where appropriate, fully investigated. This includes concerns about staffing levels and any compromise to patient safety. Boards are expected to investigate concerns in line with the NHSScotland Whistleblowing Policy.

The Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) was set up to provide a mechanism for external review where there are concerns of how a Health Board, primary care or independent provider has handled a Whistleblowing case.

Additionally, the Scottish Government seek assurance of the whistleblowing support in place for staff, as well as the process in Boards through regular contact with Board Executives, the Board Whistleblowing Champions, and via the annual Staff Governance Monitoring exercise.

Question reference: S6W-21952

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns raised by the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) that “it was difficult to understand” how NHS Forth Valley’s response “addressed the specific concerns raised” by whistleblowers.

All NHSScotland Health Boards report directly to the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) on the recommendations from investigation reports. The Scottish Government do not become involved in INWO investigations, instead we will seek assurance through regular contact with Board officials and through the annual Staff Governance Monitoring exercise that actions are taken in line with the report.

Question reference: S6W-21954

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to address any issues at NHS Forth Valley since the reports of “intolerable” working conditions within the NHS board.

The Scottish Government supports and encourages an environment where those working in our health service feel confident to raise any concerns they may have, in the knowledge that these will be treated seriously and, where appropriate, fully investigated. Boards are expected to investigate concerns fairly and appropriately in line with national policies.

The Scottish Government expect NHS Forth Valley to work closely with trade unions to address and resolve concerns.

An Assurance Board was established in December 2023 to monitor and scrutinise NHS Forth Valley against an agreed Improvement Plan. The Assurance Board has met 13 times and continues to meet monthly to review progress.

Question reference: S6W-21953

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the findings of the “transformation team” that was dispatched to NHS Forth Valley in November 2022 after the Scottish Government placed the NHS board on stage 4 of the special measures scale.

Updates from the external support team and other matters relating to the escalation of NHS Forth Valley are discussed at meetings of the NHS Forth Valley Assurance Board.

The Assurance Board was established by the Scottish Government to support NHS Forth Valley in determining what steps are necessary to ensure the delivery of high quality governance, leadership and culture, and in doing so support improvements in performance in out of hours, unscheduled care, mental health, and integration.

The minutes of the Assurance Board meetings and other information relevant to the escalation of NHS Forth Valley are published here: NHS Forth Valley Assurance Board - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Question reference: S6W-21955

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what actions have been taken to address the situation at NHS Forth Valley since the NHS board was placed on stage 4 of the special measures scale in November 2022.

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