SIGN Guideline 161 – ‘Managing the long-term effects of COVID-19’ provides healthcare professionals with recommendations on the monitoring of people with ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 syndrome. The approach to monitoring will be tailored to each person, given the wide range of care needs that may be experienced.

NHS Scotland is delivering care tailored to the individual needs of people experiencing the longer term effects of COVID-19, with clinicians providing support based on presenting symptoms. This will continue to evolve as scientific understanding of the underlying mechanisms behind these longer term effects develops. In addition, we continue to explore the use of a digital tool to support symptomatic COVID-19 patients in higher risk groups to self-monitor their condition at home. A test of change is underway across a number of Health Boards that would provide them with support and advice on any possible deterioration in their condition using a pulse oximeter.

On 5 October 2020 the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office launched a research funding call into the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection. Following an independent expert review process, 9 research projects have been selected for funding with a total commitment of around £2.5 million. These projects cover a wide range of approaches and address questions that will greatly increase the clinically relevant knowledge base on long-term effects of COVID-19 infection.

Further information is available from the CSO website: https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/outcome-of-the-funding-call-for-scottish-led-research-on-long-term-effects-of-covid-19-infection/

NHS Scotland does not supply staff with disposable hijabs, but staff are allowed to wear religious garments including hijabs, provided patient safety is not compromised.

These must be washed and/or changed between each shift or immediately if contaminated and comply with additional attire in, for example, theatre settings.

There is guidance for staff which explains how to properly and safely launder uniforms. There is also guidance on PPE included in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual .

As we have indicated previously, the Neurological Care and Support Framework for Scotland 2020-25 is in place to improve support for people living with neurological conditions. This includes ensuring they are partners in their own care, improving co-ordinated health and social care and support, ensuring high standards of person-centred, and safe care and support, ensuring timely access to services and building a sustainable neurological workforce. £4.5 million of funding is being invested over 5 years to implement the Framework’s commitments. While the Framework is not condition specific, it covers common themes affecting people with all types of neurological conditions, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and this condition is recognised as being covered by the Framework.

Under commitment 12 of the Framework, we are prioritising work to improve the recording of neurological conditions in people’s routine health and care records, which in turn will inform available data about the prevalence of neurological conditions. The incidence, prevalence and case definitions of ME remain contested worldwide, which presents a practical challenge in establishing the prevalence of ME. Our work takes account of difficult to diagnose conditions, such as ME, which is a factor contributing to the variation in their recording in health and care records. Improving digital platforms, including those used in primary care, form part of the Digital Health and Care Strategy being delivered and will be accompanied by training to ensure consistent recording of all neurological conditions. We are also looking to develop a data strategy across health and social care for the first time, which will benefit those living with ME/CFS.

In October 2020, we published a list of projects funded through the Neurological Care and Support Framework. One of which is to fund the creation of an online ME/CFS module for health care professionals. This work is led by a partnership of ME third sector/patient organisations and aims to support person-centred care, informed by good practice and current research.

The Scottish Public Health Network (ScotPHN) ME-CFS healthcare needs assessment: Briefing was published this month. We are considering the recommendations within this report alongside the Gathering Views report on ME/CFS by Healthcare Improvement Scotland Community Engagement; and the revised NICE guideline that is due to be published in April 2021. These form part of actions the Cabinet Secretary set out in evidence to the Public Petitions Committee (PE1690) on 19th December 2019 and in her written response on the 25 August 2020.

We are already taking action to ensure that people in Scotland receive the right care at the right time and place. Therefore, our ambition is for people living with ME/CFS to have access to the support they may need for assessment, diagnosis and care in a setting that is as close to their home as possible. At present, it is our belief that instead of setting up separate clinics, this can be best achieved by enhancing and better co-ordinating existing services in primary and community care, using the multidisciplinary and person-centred support that people may require. This further links to wider work involving the Rehabilitation and Recovery Framework.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34260 on 20 January 2021. 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 .

Additionally, as I stated to the Health and Sport Committee in my letter dated 18 December 2020, it is not possible to be explicit on the date for the public consultation, given this is part of a wider process of engagement and input which has been placed on hold to prioritise resource for the pandemic. When capacity becomes available the public consultation will be an integral part of that process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34263 on 20 January 2021. 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 .

Additionally, my officials have had regular contact with both Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the Care Inspectorate in relation to support they have given to Health Boards and care home providers throughout the pandemic. Government officials have held informal monthly meetings with HIS to discuss the programme work plan for the year, to focus on supporting workload and workforce planning during the pandemic, and progress that HIS could make during this time in relation to securing analytical and digital support from NHS Education for Scotland (NES Scotland), in preparation for developing approaches to multidisciplinary tool development.

The Care Inspectorate had commenced a scoping exercise relating to development of workload tools for care homes for adults. This work was paused due to the pandemic and will be re-established when appropriate, given the significantly stretched nature of available time and resources for those working in the sector during the ongoing pandemic. However, Scottish Government has supported them in developing a Care Management safety huddle tool during this time. This tool enables care homes to identify areas of concern and risk, including workforce, and supports a consistent approach to escalation to the Care Inspectorate and Health and Social Care Partnerships, which helps support them now and in preparation for the implementation of the Act, along with the duties this will impose on them. This tool will further inform future development of workload tools and methodologies in care homes for adults.

Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) is responsible for both the Healthcare Staffing Programme National Steering Group and Education sub-group of that National Steering Group.

The Healthcare Staffing Programme National Steering Group last met on 6 November 2019. The Education Sub-group last met on 28 January 2020.

The Programme was stepped down in March 2020 as a result of the pandemic and remobilised in September 2020.

HIS has not yet agreed a firm date for the Healthcare Staffing Programme National Steering Group, but has confirmed that it will take place sometime before 5 February 2021. The first meeting of the reconvened Education Sub-group is scheduled to take place on 19 January 2021.

The epidemiology for the new variant of COVID-19 is being monitored by the Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland service for new confirmed variant cases and is being assessed for hospital onset status. As the validated data become available from Health Boards, new cases will be assessed for their hospital onset status. ARHAI are exploring other possible routes to determine the hospital onset status of new variant cases more rapidly should there be an ongoing need to track nosocomial transmission, in addition to extant monitoring (hospital onset surveillance and clusters reporting system).

Should cases of the new variant be identified, advice from Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) experts in Scotland, as well as the UK IPC cell, is that there is no change to the existing IPC guidance. Robust IPC measures remain of paramount importance for reducing nosocomial transmission. This includes the appropriate use of PPE, the extended use of face masks, physical distancing, good ventilation, increased environmental cleaning, symptom vigilance, good hand hygiene and good respiratory etiquette.

The Scottish COVID-19 Addendum in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual should be followed, which can be found at: http://www.nipcm.hps.scot.nhs.uk/scottish-covid-19-infection-prevention-and-control-addendum-for-acute-settings/

The actions that the Scottish Government has taken to develop its duties which correspond to the Health and Care (Staffing) Scotland Act 2019 (the Act) have, as with most aspects of health and social care policy, been significantly affected by our need to respond to the global pandemic emergency.

While the implementation of the Act has been paused, Boards have continued to use workload tools where there has been capacity to do so. Therefore, since the initial lockdown we have focused on supporting Boards with necessary workload and workforce planning as part of their response.

Scottish Government has been funding and overseeing the development of a range of resources in recognition that Covid-19 has required changes to staffing resulting from increased demand, reduced availability of staff and implementation of social distancing in clinical areas, including the development of:

• staffing models for intensive care units and the Louisa Jordan Hospital;
• professional judgement templates with associated specialty specific guidance for adult acute wards, maternity and neonatal services, mental health and learning disability services, community nursing and AHP services;
• a care management safety huddle tool and professional judgement template for use in care homes.

Additionally, Scottish Government has continued to provide funding for workforce lead posts in each Board to provide local leadership and expertise, in recognition of the importance of support being available to NHS Boards for staff at this time. The use of workload tools are not currently mandated in recognition that Boards may not have capacity, though they remain available to Boards should they wish to use them. Scottish Government also continues to fund the Healthcare Staffing Programme (HSP) within Health Improvement Scotland (HIS), which is responsible for work to support implementation of the Act, although understandably the focus this year has been on supporting workforce planning required as a result of the pandemic.

The development of the guidance was divided into 13 work streams representing the 13 guidance chapters, each with an associated working group of external stakeholders and an initial draft document provided to each group. Thus far drafts of guidance have been developed on 8 of the 13 work streams.

Since 23 March, progress in drafting the necessary guidance in consultation with key stakeholders has been directly and severely impacted upon by capacity issues within Scottish Government, the Care Inspectorate and Health Boards. The suspension of preparatory work such as this for enactment was necessary due to the requirement to free up staff to work on Covid both at Government and Board levels. The work that was planned to develop guidance for care services was also paused. Accordingly, with significantly reduced capacity it has not been possible to progress work on the guidance as previously planned. However, Scottish Government is absolutely committed to directing resources and recommencing work on the development of the guidance with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the Care Inspectorate and Boards as soon as is practically possible for us and our key stakeholders.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34257 on 20 January 2021. 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 .