S6W-39848

Asked by: Mochan, Carol (Scottish Labour - South Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what induction is available specifically to African workers coming to work within the NHS and social care sector.  

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel in Scotland promotes high standards of practice in the ethical recruitment of all international staff and all health and social employers must adhere to the Code.

It provides employers of health and social care personnel with guiding principles that should be adhered to when undertaking international recruitment and states that internationally recruited staff have the same legal rights and responsibilities as domestic staff in terms of employment and conditions of work. This means high standards of induction and support is provided equal to all other employees. It must include cultural and pastoral support to help individuals settle into work and life in Scotland regardless of country of origin.

The code can be accessed on the Scottish Government website at Scottish Code of Practice for Ethical Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel

S6W-39769

Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what share of recorded patient falls occurred in NHS facilities known to be in poor condition or scheduled for replacement.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The Scottish Government does not hold the information on the reasons for patient falls. Each NHS board is responsible for recording, assessing and investigating (if necessary), the reason for a patient fall. This investigation would include whether the condition of the NHS facilities was a factor.

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP), hosted by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, provides ongoing practical improvement support to Boards. Since 2021, SPSP has delivered a programme to reduce the rate of inpatient falls. The most recent data from this work (see report published December 2024) demonstrates that the national median rate of inpatient falls in acute hospitals had sustained a decrease of 9% (when compared to baseline data beginning in 2021). This programme of work will continue to support improvement in the years ahead.

S6W-39812

Asked by: Eagle, Tim (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Highlands and Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people resident in Scotland have received NHS treatment in the rest of the UK in each year since 2021.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The following table shows the total number of admissions across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for patients normally residing in Scotland, for each financial year since 2021 where complete data is available. Consideration should be given to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic when interpreting these data.

The total admissions includes emergency and elective admission episodes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.

S6W-39813

Asked by: Eagle, Tim (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Highlands and Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Significant Adverse Event Reviews have been commissioned for a Category I adverse event in each year since 2021, broken down by NHS board.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The data requested is gathered by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and is provided in the following table.

S6W-39553

Asked by: Greene, Jamie (Scottish Liberal Democrats - West Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) paramedics are currently working in Scotland, (b) newly qualified paramedics entered the NHS in each of the last five years and (c) individuals are currently in training to become paramedics.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

Number of paramedics currently working in Scotland:

2,156.6 WTE

Number of Newly Qualified Paramedics who entered the NHS (in Scotland) in each of the last five years:

2020-21 = 24

2021-22 = 58

2022-23 = 47

2023-24 = 179

2024-25 = 181

You should note that the Scottish Ambulance Service received the first applications from Newly Qualified Paramedics with Scottish qualifications in April 2023. The numbers above include NQP applicants from across the UK.

Individuals are currently in training to become paramedics:

985

S6W-39853

Asked by: Choudhury, Foysol (Scottish Labour - Lothian)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many people have been supported to have repairs made to their homes through the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004.

Answered by Brown, Siobhian - Minister for Victims and Community Safety

Repairs made under the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 are private matters, for individual homeowners in affected properties. As such the Scottish Government does not collect or hold this data.

S6W-39543

Asked by: Golden, Maurice (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted on the impact on (a) retail crime and (b) the safety of shop workers in Scotland of the proposals in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

The UK-wide impact assessment on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill noted that there is not sufficient evidence to be able to provide an estimate for how this policy may impact the number of incidences of violence or abuse towards retail workers or monetise the impact. Further impact assessments will be undertaken by the Scottish Government before making any Regulations under powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that rest with the Scottish Ministers.

Retail workers (as well as all other workers) are protected by a wide range of criminal laws (i.e. the statutory offence of threatening or abusive behaviour; the common law offence of assault; and the common law offence of breach of the peace).

In addition, the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-Restricted Products) (Scotland) Act 2021(“the 2021 Act”) came into force in August 2021 and created a statutory offence of threatening, abusing, or assaulting a retail worker, adding to the offences that can already be used to prosecute those who abuse retail workers.

Scottish Government partners, like the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), share best guidance and resources, such as the free Grocery Aid helpline, and Victim Support, for victims of violence and abuse in a retail setting. We will continue to work closely with retailers to support them in preparing for and implementing the Bill.

As part of its budget for 2025-26, the Scottish Government is making an additional £3 million available for Police Scotland to work with the sector to tackle retail crime.

S6W-39874

Asked by: Dowey, Sharon (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - South Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support the rights of commercial tenants.

Answered by Brown, Siobhian - Minister for Victims and Community Safety

The Scottish Government introduced the Leases (Automatic Continuation etc.) (Scotland) Bill which will clarify and modernise the legal rights of commercial tenants to terminate their lease. The Bill will benefit commercial tenants, such as small businesses, who do not have the means to employ legal representation and the Government is committed to preparing and publishing guidance about the reforms to further support small business tenants. Further details and progress of the Bill is available Leases (Automatic Continuation etc.) (Scotland) Bill | Scottish Parliament Website.

S6W-39718

Asked by: White, Tess (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a review of the Central Legal Office of NHS Scotland has been undertaken in the past five years, and, if so, what its conclusions were.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The Central Legal Office is a department within NHS National Services Scotland (NSS). As a sponsored statutory body, NSS is subject to Annual Reviews from Scottish Government. This forms part of the overall monitoring of operational performance, governance and delivery of National Priorities. Since 2020-21, NSS has had ministerial-led annual reviews, with their Annual Review letters made publicly available on their website.

S6W-39723

Asked by: Baillie, Jackie (Scottish Labour - Dumbarton)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings laid out in the British Society for Haematology’s 2025 workforce report, The Haematology Workforce: A comprehensive view.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The Scottish Government welcomes the insight provided by the British Society for Haematology in this report and recognises the challenges facing haematology services and our overall workforce.

The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the strategic policy direction for NHS Scotland and its workforce. Operational matters, including the staffing of individual services, are the responsibility of each NHS Scotland Health Board.

At a local level, the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 places duties on Health Boards to ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent individuals are working in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, wellbeing and safety of patients, the provision of high-quality care and the wellbeing of staff.

We are working with NHS Scotland to address staffing as a matter of urgency, working closely with NHS Boards and clinical leaders from across the country to address pressures in a sustainable way. This includes retaining staff in specialist roles and prioritising staff wellbeing, as evidence shows that positive wellbeing enhances staff retention and engagement, which in turn raises standards of patient safety and quality of care.

I also refer the member to the answers to questions for S6W-39724 and S6W-39726 on 14 August and S6W-39725 on 20 August. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.