The Scottish Government does not hold information in this form.

The Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board provides strategic leadership of a £50m investment in perinatal and infant mental health. Within this, services directly towards infants aged 0 to 3 years are being developed across Scotland. Over £800,000 has been invested in infant mental health this financial year.

NHS Boards draw funding for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) from the overall health and social care funds allocated to them by the Scottish Government. Boards work with the Integration Joint Boards in their area and other partners to ensure funding decisions reflect local and national priorities for the delivery of person-centred, safe and effective mental health services.

Detail on mental health spending and the NHS budget is made available each year as part of the annual NHS Costs Book publication and the Scottish Budget, this includes CAMHS expenditure data by NHS Board. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26493, which details this expenditure from 2011 until 2019. The 2019-20 data is expected to be published on 19 January 2021. However, CAMHS expenditure data is not available broken down by age.

The Seasonal Flu Immunisation Programme helps to protect the most vulnerable and alleviate pressure on the NHS. This is more important than ever this year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those most at risk from the seasonal flu, who are already eligible to receive the vaccine are:

• Those aged 65 and over,
• Those who have an underlying health condition,
• Pregnant women,
• Health care workers,
• Young and unpaid carers,
• children aged 2-5 (not yet at school), and
• primary school pupils.

This year the Scottish Government expanded free eligibility for the seasonal flu vaccine to include:

• social care workers who provide direct personal care;
• household members of individuals who are shielding; and
• all those aged 60-64 (who are not already eligible) and with the intention to further expand to 59-55.

With the expansion some occupations, such as health and social care workers are entitled to the free seasonal flu vaccine, this is because they come into contact with a higher proportion of people who are vulnerable to the seasonal flu. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, there is pressure on the global supply of seasonal flu vaccine and those at the greatest clinical risk must continue to be prioritised. Therefore school staff who are at higher risk from flu will already be eligible to receive their flu vaccination and will be contacted by their Health Board letting them know where they will receive the vaccine and how to book their appointment.

COVID-19 transmission is taking place in the community and – as is the case with any infectious disease – transmission is more likely where people are in closed settings, including within hospitals. As a result, we are seeing a rise of definite hospital onset cases.

Health Boards, supported by expert advice from the COVID-19 Nosocomial Review Group (CNRG) established by the Scottish Government in May, are implementing a range of measures to minimise the risk of coronavirus transmission in hospitals. Based on the latest infection prevention and control guidance from National Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland, these measures include:

- the appropriate use of PPE,

- extended use of face masks and coverings

- physical distancing,

- outbreak management,

- risk assessed patient care pathways to help guide the implementation of measures for safe and effective care, and

- staff and patient testing

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we have and continue to work hard to ensure IPC measures in hospital and other care settings are robust.

Since 1 November dentists have been permitted to offer the full range of NHS care in surgeries. With the resumption, dentists providing NHS care are required to submit claims for items of treatment undertaken to National Services Scotland. This information will be used to monitor the impact on current service provision.

The diagnosis of oral cancer is monitored through hospital data. The patient pathway for oral cancer was maintained throughout the pandemic. Despite a reduction in dental services on account of the COVID-19 outbreak ensuring that people have access to cancer services has always remained a priority. Dental practices have continued to triage patients during the pandemic and, in accordance with the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) guidelines, refer patients with symptoms of oral cancer for urgent assessment.

180,784 participants had their cervical screening test delayed due to the pause of the screening programmes in 2020 of which (a) 29,362 have attended for a test and (b) 99,716 have yet to receive their invitation for a screening appointment. These figures include women who receive more frequent screening appointments, who were first to receive their invitations to cervical screening following the restart.

From the outset of the pandemic maternity and neonatal care has been recognised as an essential acute, integrated and community service, providing both scheduled and unscheduled care. Midwives, obstetricians and the wider maternity and neonatal workforce have continued to provide care for pregnant women, babies and families throughout the pandemic.

To support professionals, the Scottish Government issued guidance to Health Boards and Social Care Partnerships for delivery of Maternity, Neonatal and Health Visiting Services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which set out the minimum standard of care expected, relevant to the local protection level, and to maintain services for women and families.

From the outset of the pandemic we have provided clear, evidence based information for pregnant women and new parents both online in Ready Steady Baby, via Parent Club, and through information leaflets. In addition we have delivered a free-to-access online antenatal education package, and pushed forward a new home monitoring initiative and rapidly up scaled the of use of ‘Near Me’ technology in maternity and newborn services, all of which have enabled care to be delivered as close to home as possible and minimised the need for hospital attendance. We have also ensured continued provision of high quality infant feeding support to new mums.

We are actively engaging with cancer charities across Scotland, with many involved in discussions regarding shielding and the drafting of the upcoming National Cancer Recover Plan. Alongside this, various charities are a member of the Scottish Screening Committee and the National Cancer Trials Resilience Group.

The Community and Third Sector Recovery Programme (CTRSP) opened for applications on 21 September and will run until March 2021. Over three hundred applications have been received to date and these are currently being assessed by our partners. By the end of this week (6 Nov) a total of 22 Organisations will be in receipt of grants totalling over £410,000 with a further 25 Organisations currently receiving Business Advice through the Adapt and Thrive Programme.

The Adapt and Thrive Programme aims to support organisational change, it offers tailored, specialist advice, as well as grants between £5 and £25k. Loans of £25K+ are also available.

Third Sector Organisations need to adapt to the challenges presented by COVID, to ensure that they continue to have a positive impact in their communities. Working with an advisor, organisations will be supported to develop a plan to operate sustainably post-COVID. This may mean developing new income streams, restructuring the organisation, or changing how services are delivered.

The contribution from community and third sector organisations has been an essential part of how communities have responded to the pandemic, the connections and partnerships made will continue to play an important role in recovery. Communities Recovery Fund aims to support either the delivery of community services that were suspended or reduced because of COVID, or the creation of new services that tackle new challenges presented by COVID.

The fund will offer grants to enable organisations to reintroduce the delivery of services, adapt existing services or the develop new services to tackle new or exacerbated needs resulting from COVID.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government or Public Health Scotland. It may be available on request from individual health boards.

The issue arose in an automated process to transfer files between the third party IT and letter suppliers, which prevented the letters being issued. The root cause of this failure is still being investigated. Daily checks have since been implemented to ensure information is transferred and received as expected.

NHS National Services Scotland have worked closely with Health Boards to ensure sample taking locations are supported to prioritise affected participants without impacting existing services. Where necessary, additional funding has been provided to enable this, for example to allow running additional clinics.