Scotland

More than a third of children and young people in Scotland’s public and grant-maintained schools have an identified additional support need. Working under the direction of the Scottish Government’s policies, local authorities are responsible for identifying, providing and reviewing the additional support needs of children and young people.

The Committee is launching its inquiry with a call for people to share their experiences of how services are provided to people with additional support needs. The Committee is keen to hear from parents, teachers, support staff, carers, pupils themselves and support organisations.

The inquiry will consider how Scottish legislation that aimed to support children and young people, including 2004’s Additional Support for Learning Act, has been implemented and is working in practice.

The Committee is particularly interested in hearing views about the presumption that children and young people should receive a ‘mainstream education’, which aims to ensure they could be included alongside their peers; the impact of COVID-19 on the availability of additional support; and what happens when people are in dispute with their local authority over the services provided to a child or young person.

 January 2021

The Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill is a Member’s Bill introduced by Johann Lamont MSP on 30 September 2020. A Member’s Bill is introduced by an individual MSP, not the Scottish Government.  The Bill aims to improve opportunities for disabled children and young people as they grow up. 

The Policy Memorandum for the Bill estimates there are up to 4,000 disabled school leavers each year. The Policy Memorandum gives the following definition of transition:

“Transition is an ongoing process of psychological, social and educational adaptation over time due to changes in context, interpersonal relationships and identity. Young people experience multiple transitions at the same time which they can be both excited and worried about, and require ongoing support from significant others. Further, their multiple transitions trigger transitions for significant others and vice versa, making their transition experiences dynamic and complex”. Transition in this context encompasses the move from school into the adult world of work, and/or further or higher education.  According to the Scottish Transitions Forum, “the legislative and policy environment for transitions is complex”, and “is not only supported by clear duties but also underpinned by rights”.

Between now and the Scottish Parliament election in the spring, the Committee and the Parliament expect to have a very full work schedule. Any Bills need very careful consideration and there are a number of stages any Bill must go through before it becomes law. It’s possible that the Bill will not complete all the stages before the election and would therefore not become law. The Scottish Parliament will consider carefully all views on the Bill and decide on next steps after the Call for Views has closed. 

Covid-19 has had a big impact on every area of life, including transitions for disabled children and young people. The Scottish Parliament was interested to know about the current situation but they were also looking ahead to when the virus is hopefully contained.

Link to the consultation response page

Link to the Bill

A National Conversation to Inform a New Dementia Strategy

A diagnosis of dementia is a unique experience to each individual and it will be essential to the success of the strategy that lived experience of those living with dementia and their families are heard. Occupational therapists working with those with lived experience of dementia can provide an insight into the supports and interventions that allow people to live their best lives.

Consultation with RCOT members identified that for many a diagnosis of dementia can be a frightening and uncertain time. This can be exacerbated by the stigma surrounding dementia which can cause people to withdraw from their communities or prevent people coming forward for diagnosis at all. Dementia shouldn’t mean disengaging from doing what is important to you but being supported to continue to do what you need and want to do- but perhaps in a different way- with the support and advice of occupational therapists. 

RCOT and its members feel strongly that fear and uncertainty can be reduced by ensuring access to the correct support at the correct time. Ongoing education at population level to challenge stigma surrounding dementia can reduce the uncertainty faced by many. It is important that holistic support that involves families and support networks is available from pre diagnosis to end of life. RCOT members report that many individuals are not aware of the support that they are entitled. They are also unaware of the benefits of rehabilitation when managing how to live with dementia.

Read the full report below:
 

September 2022

The Scottish Government asked for views on what a new mental health and wellbeing strategy for Scotland should look like. The Strategy will guide the work that the Government, and their partners, will do to improve mental health and wellbeing in Scotland. This will include an overall shared vision, a set of outcomes, and how they will achieve these to improve people's mental health and wellbeing. It will also describe how they will measure the difference we're making.

The Scottish Government wanted to make sure that the Strategy does the right things to improve mental health and wellbeing for people in Scotland. They also asked for views on whether the draft overall vision, and their draft outcomes, were the right ones. They wanted the Strategy to focus on every part of what mental health and wellbeing means. This covered a range of things, including:

• addressing the underlying reasons behind poor mental health;
• helping to create the conditions for people to thrive;
• challenging the stigma around mental health, and;
• providing specialist help and support for mental illness.

The Scottish Government also wanted the Strategy to guide how they provide support to everyone who has a role in improving and supporting people's mental health and wellbeing. This ranges from the specialist mental health workforce, to those working in all health and social care settings, in communities, schools, police custody suites, and prisons. They also recognise the invaluable support of volunteers and unpaid carers.

The Strategy will mainly cover the next five years, until 2027. However, it will also set out a much longer term approach to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the population.

The Scottish Government will also publish delivery plans to set out the work they will do over the coming years. These will show how they will make progress towards their outcomes, and how they will measure that progress.

They included definitions of what they mean by terms such as "mental health" and "mental wellbeing" in the document and asked questions about whether these definitions were right. They want the Strategy to be equality and human rights-based.

Link to consultation

September 2022

The Bill proposes to establish a National Care Service. It allows Scottish Ministers to transfer social care responsibility from local authorities to a new, national service. This could include adult and children’s services, as well as areas such as justice social work. Scottish Ministers will also be able to transfer healthcare functions from the NHS to the proposed National Care Service.

Care or health services transferred to the new service could be delivered nationally or locally. The Bill proposes that new bodies called “care boards” would be responsible for delivering care locally.

As well as proposing to establish a National Care Service, the Bill makes other changes including:

• allowing information to be shared by the proposed National Care Service and the NHS
• introducing a right to breaks for carers
• giving rights to people living in adult care homes to see the people important to them (known as “Anne’s Law”)

Link to consultation

August 2022

As set out in the Strategy for Care in the Digital Age, the Scottish Government believes that data should be harnessed to the benefit of the people of Scotland. This includes the delivery of better services, greater innovation, and ensuring the people of Scotland have greater access to, and greater control over, their health and social care information.
 
The use of data has changed in the last few years and the pandemic has played a role in catapulting health and social care data and statistics into everyday discussions. There is an opportunity to learn from recent experiences of using health and social care data. However, whilst the Scottish Government has some world-class data resources at their disposal, there remains considerable data gaps and they are still lacking information in some areas. These are gaps they must address to improve care in the future.
 
One of the initial drivers of the Data Strategy will be to align the existing work that is already underway to improve both the use and access to data in health and social care for the benefit of the Scottish people. The Data Strategy will seek to minimise duplication of effort and support collaboration at a national level. It will also ensure an inclusive approach to any solution or ambition for those who do not or cannot access services digitally.
 
There are a range of data with varying degrees of sensitivity and the public, rightly have an expectation that these are used responsibly and in ways that protect individual privacy. The last few years have seen significant research around understanding public perception of the acceptable use of the data that relates to them, including in research we commissioned ourselves in conjunction with NESTA.
 
This consultation built on that extensive public engagement, and the Scottish Government recognised further work was required on helping the people of Scotland grow their understanding and support of the use of data for the wider public good. They hoped for a large and diverse set of responses to this consultation so that they could consider the widest range of insight when developing a Data Strategy fit to serve the length and breadth of the nation and all who live here. 

Data Strategy for health and social care consultation page at Scottish Government

June 2022

The Scottish Government consulted on revised guidance on the provision of community equipment and housing adaptations, which will replace the current guidance, published in 2009.

This guidance covers the responsibilities of NHS Scotland and Local Authorities (Health & Social care partnerships, and their Housing and Education partners) for the provision of community equipment and housing adaptations.

The aim of the guidance is to enable professionals, service users, and carers, to review and understand local health and social care partnerships responsibilities, and to continue to support the aim of a more consistent approach, to the provision of community equipment and housing adaptations across all areas of Scotland.

Link to Consultation: https://consult.gov.scot/mental-health-unit/equipment-and-adaptions-guidance-review/

March 2022

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament undertook an inquiry into health inequalities in Scotland.  

Public Health Scotland define health inequalities as the “avoidable and unjust differences in people’s health across the population.”  Some variations in health may be naturally occurring and unavoidable. However, health inequalities are defined as such when they affect certain groups in a way that is unfair and avoidable. 

The aim of this inquiry was to explore:

• progress towards tackling health inequalities in Scotland since 2015.
• cross-sectoral work undertaken over that time period to address social inequalities and what impact this had on health inequalities.  
• what impacts the pandemic had on health inequalities and action to address them, both positive and negative. 
• how to sustain and maintain any progress achieved during the pandemic in addressing health inequalities.
• how tackling health inequalities can be prioritised during COVID-19 recovery. 
• opportunities to reduce health inequalities and increase preventative work to tackle social inequalities before they impact on individuals’ health.  
• what is needed at a policy level to achieve this and make recommendations for the Scottish Government and other key decision-makers involved in policy development to tackle health inequalities
• how third sector, local government and others might best tackle health inequalities. 

Link to consultation

February 2022

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee held an inquiry into “alternative” pathways to primary care. The usual route is from a GP, but other pathways could include seeing an OT.

Members were asked to let us know their thoughts about these key questions:

1. What is the current level of awareness amongst health practitioners and patients of the availability of alternative pathways to healthcare services other than seeing a GP?  
2. How good is the signposting between general practice and other primary healthcare professionals? To what extent are GPs equipped with the information they need to make onward referrals? To what extent are GP practice receptionists equipped to signpost patients to the most appropriate service?  
3. What is the level of public awareness of options to self-refer to alternative pathways to healthcare? What is the current extent of self-referrals? How could this be improved?  
4. To what extent is there available capacity amongst other primary healthcare professionals to take on more patients if there was an increase in referrals from GPs / self-referral by patients?  
5. What potential is there for greater use of alternative pathways to healthcare to ease current pressures on general practice? What are the potential limitations? 
6. What scope is there for greater use of social prescribing to ease current pressures on general practice and to achieve similar or even better health outcomes? 
7. To what extent is best use currently being made of alternative sources of health and wellbeing information and advice (other than a patient seeing their GP) such as telephone helplines, websites and online therapy? What are the limitations / potential pitfalls of increased use of these resources as an alternative to patients making an appointment with their GP?

Link to consultation

December 2021

The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee undertook an inquiry into the health and wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland including: 

• Child poverty (including the Scottish Government’s current child poverty delivery plan), inequality and adverse childhood experiences;
• Issues affecting care experienced by young people;
• Mental health, access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and the importance of early intervention; 
• Health and wellbeing in schools.

The Committee wanted to hear from stakeholders on the topic of the health and wellbeing of children and young people.  Specifically: 

• What are the key issues around health and wellbeing for children and young people in Scotland?
• What are the current challenges with improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people over the next 5 years?
• What offers the best opportunity for improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people over the next 5 years?
• How does addressing poverty lead to improved health and social care outcomes?

Link to consultation

This consultation set out the Scottish Government proposals to improve the way they deliver social care in Scotland, following the recommendations of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care. It was focused on exploring the suggestions for significant cultural and system change that will need to be supported by primary legislation, new laws, to ensure the governance and accountability across the system to deliver successfully for people.

Link to consultation

July 2021

The Scottish Parliament’s Participation and Communities Team (PACT) were looking to inform the work of Committees between 2021 and 2026.

They wanted to hear views on the topics the Scottish Parliament should prioritise as Committees start working in Session 6.

RCOT provided comments on the health and social care priorities.

Link to consultation

September 2021

Scotland’s Mental Health Partnership (SMHP) – of which the Royal College of Occupational Therapists is a member – organised a consultation on the steps that its members would like to see SMHP advocate as part of the Scottish Government’s review of the Mental Health Strategy.

To ensure the Mental Health Strategy review is taken as an opportunity to “radically refresh” its priorities and take a Promote, Prevent, Provide focus, SMHP needed a collectively formed view on the Strategy as it stands and what needs to be introduced. This initial consultation enabled the Partnership to gain a clearer picture on what that looks like, and how they should focus their follow up discussions with the SMHP membership.

January 2021

The Social Work Scotland Self-directed Support project team asked people to provide their opinions on the SDS standards ( attached) and to share any helpful ideas they may have around how to implement them, at a local or national level. This was for supported people, carers, staff, support organisations, or anyone else who wanted to comment on the standards. 

The open call for comment was primarily targeted at capturing opinions on the draft SDS standards from the practitioners who would be expected to implement them. The project team will be looking to develop action statements that sit behind the standards, outlining what good SDS practice is. They asked the workforce to provide helpful ideas to develop these action statements. They also welcomed comment from supported people and their carers to help inform the details around what staff and leaders need to do to help them achieve full choice and control over their supports.

Instead of a written response to this consultation, RCOT was invited to meet with Scottish Government to discuss the National Framework for Self-Directed Support.  Work is ongoing with Scottish Government

The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) welcomes legislations for transition and handover processes in health and social care services for young people as they grow and move from children’s to adult services. RCOT members have identified supporting young people at this pivotal life stage as a key concern because poor continuity of care risks disengagement from services, affecting people’s long-term outcomes and quality of life. 

Read the full report below:

October 2020

This interim report described the evidence gathered during the review’s consultation phase.  The review’s call for evidence ran between 14 October 2019 and 31 January 2020.  This report is a summary of the experiences, opinions and observations that people shared with the review. Under a series of themes, it reflects what people receiving, delivering and supporting others within forensic mental health services felt was important that the review knew. It also includes some of the many ways in which people felt these services could be improved.

This interim report does not seek to provide solutions, it aims to share what the review group was told and what was sent to them. The issues that people raised with the review group will be the foundation on which the review will now start to work towards making its recommendations. However, the report also lets the review group see the areas where they need to take some time to gather further evidence to allow them to make informed decisions and meet their terms of reference.

COVID-19 led to a cessation of the work while members of the review group contributed to the national effort to fight the virus. The pandemic has led to a revised timetable with a projected date of January 2021 for the publication of the final report.

You can find the full report, its executive summary and an Easy Read version here.

August 2020

Scottish Labour is developing a comprehensive plan that will establish a better way forward for Scotland’s care services. They are committed to seeing the benefits of a unified system with set high

standards and established levels of support for care in all settings, be that residential care, care at home or proper support for informal carers.

They believe a National Care Service should be built on the four principles included in the consultation document below and they consulted on how these changes can be achieved.

July 2020

The Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament’s initial inquiry into social care was to be a forward-looking strategic approach designed to encourage an exploration of how social care can be co-ordinated, commissioned and funded differently in the future.  RCOT responded to this inquiry on social care earlier this year. See response to consultation 11 19-20. 

However due to the COVID-19 pandemic, scrutiny of social care was paused. The pandemic brought several issues to the fore in relation to care homes and wider social care. The Committee begun scrutiny on a new social care inquiry which will:

• examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social care sector;
• examine wider issues impacting social care delivery that have come to light because of COVID-19; and
• explore how those lessons can be applied in the future to improve social care systems and delivery in Scotland

Link to consultation

August 2020

As part of its pre-Budget 2021-22 scrutiny, the Finance and Constitution Committee of the Scottish Parliament, welcomed views on the impact of COVID-19 on the Scottish Government’s Budget 2021-22. In particular, the Committee asked for views on a number of issues.

RCOT ‘s response to the question focusing on the priorities in the Budget 2021-22 in addressing the impact of COVID-19

Click here to view the consultation on the Scottish Parliament website

Review of Mental Health Law in Scotland – 18 19-20

May 2020

A review was carried out into the way mental health law is working in Scotland. This review was set up by the Scottish Government but was independent from them.  John Scott QC led the Review and wanted to hear about people’s experience of mental health law in Scotland. These views helped John Scott and his team learn more about the way the law is working just now and what can be done to improve the way it works.

The aim of the Review is to improve the rights and protections of people affected by the mental health, incapacity or adult support and protection laws because they have, or used to have, a mental disorder. This includes carers or supporters of people affected by these laws.

When the law talks about someone with “a mental disorder” it means  someone who has a mental illness, a personality disorder or a learning disability. This can include people experiencing dementia, depression or autistic people. This is the definition that is used in the law at present which is why the Scottish Government used it.  They also took a Human Rights based approach to the Review which means that at all times they asked how mental health law promotes and protects human rights, and if it could do this in better ways.

On 15 May 2020, the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee called for evidence on “Resilience and Emergency Planning” in order to understand Scotland’s

preparedness for COVID-19 and whether the Scottish Government could better manage future outbreaks of coronavirus or other pandemics.   This was part of a series of short individual pieces of scrutiny work looking at specific identified areas to be presented at a public evidence session on resilience and emergency planning scheduled to take place on 17 June.

To help inform their evidence sessions, the Health and Sport Committee contacted relevant organisations directly and asked for their views.

Read the consultation

February 2020

The Health and Sport Committee undertook an inquiry into social care in Scotland. The Scottish Government Adult Social Care Reform Programme is currently working to reform social care in Scotland. This inquiry did not replicate that work. 

The Committee wanted to explore the future delivery of social care in Scotland and what is required to meet future needs.

What does the Committee wanted to know?

Experiences of social care in Scotland

1. They sought views from people with lived experience of receiving adult social care or being a carer for someone receiving care. They would like to hear:

• People’s stories and experience of social care in Scotland.
• What people would change about their experience of social care?​

2.  The future delivery of social care in Scotland
They sought to receive responses to the following questions:

• How should the public be involved in planning their own and their community’s social care services?
• How should Integration Joint Boards commission and procure social care to ensure it is person-centred?
• Looking ahead, what are the essential elements in an ideal model of social care (e.g. workforce, technology, housing etc.)?
• What needs to happen to ensure the equitable provision of social care across the country?

Link to Consultation

August 2019

In 2015, the Scottish Government produced the National Clinical Strategy for Scotland. It was developed to look at how Healthcare needs to adapt to keep up with a growing and evolving population, huge changes in technology and the integration of Health and Social Care services across the country in the long term.  The Scottish Government’s vision for the future of primary care services is for multi-disciplinary teams, made up of a variety of health professionals working together to support people in their community and give GPs more time to spend with patients in specific need of their expertise.

In line with its 2020 vision, the Scottish Government is working to transform primary care so healthcare professionals can work in new ways that will better meet changing needs and demands and allow for sustainable primary care services

Primary Care Transformation is about modernising primary care to deliver a safe, effective and person-centred healthcare service. It focuses on multidisciplinary team working to reduce pressures on services. It also aims to ensure better outcomes for patients with access to the right professional, at the right time, as near to home as possible.

The Health and Sport Committee have agreed to run an inquiry looking at the future of Primary Care in Scotland. This is the second phase of the inquiry and it is more like a “traditional” Parliamentary inquiry driven by the views of service users from the activities in Phase One and hearing from the professions, including seeking views on what the public have told the Committee.

November 2019

The Scottish Government commissioned IRMHA to undertake this review.  The Independent Review of learning disability and autism in the mental health act is looking at whether this law needs to change for people with autism or people with learning disability. The review is looking at whether the law promotes and protects people’s human rights. If the review finds that the law needs to change to promote and protect human rights, IRMHA will work through how the law needs to change. At the end of the review, they will make recommendations to the Minister for Mental Health in the Scottish Government.

There were three stages to the review:

• Discover from September 2018 to November 2018: Finding out what people’s experience is and what is known already about the Mental Health Act.
• Develop from March 2019 to May 2019: Thinking about ideas of how to make the law better if this is needed, so that it better supports people’s human rights.
• Consult from August 2019 to November 2019: Asking people what they think of what IRMHA have found.

The review will produce its final report in December 2019.

August 2019

This was a Health and Sport Committee inquiry considering social prescribing with a focus on sport and physical activity. The Committee decided to launch this inquiry following a high degree of interest from the public panels which are part of their landmark inquiry into the future of primary care.  Social prescribing has been advocated and used at least since the 1990s, and has become more widely used in Scotland with the establishment of Community Links Workers (CLWs). The Scottish Government has been committed to a GP Link Worker Programme since pilots in 2014.

Social prescribing is when GPs and other frontline healthcare professionals refer patients to a link worker with the aim of improving an individual’s health and wellbeing in a holistic way. The inquiry’s focus was on the prescribing of sport, exercise and other recreational types of activity.

A recent study by The King’s Fund reported that there is emerging evidence that social prescribing can lead to a range of positive health and wellbeing outcomes, including helping to alleviate depression and anxiety.

The Health and Sport Committee’s inquiry sought to find out:

• Who should decide whether a social prescription is the most appropriate intervention, based on what criteria? (GP, other health
  professional, direct referral from CLW, self-referral)
• To what extent does social prescribing increase sustained participation in physical activity and sport for health and wellbeing?
• What are the barriers to effective social prescribing to sport and physical activity and how are they being overcome?
• How should, social prescribing initiatives be monitored and evaluated?

Link to Consultation

August 2019

The Scottish Government aims to help people sustain and improve their health, independence and wellbeing. This Strategy will provide an opportunity to present an achievable vision of a joined up, whole system approach to falls and fracture prevention and management which will help to deliver on strategic objectives to support people to age well.

Harm from falls and fear of falling affect large numbers of people both directly and indirectly, having a significant impact on wellbeing and prevent many people from experiencing healthy ageing. The Scottish Government wants the strategy to reflect the views of people who experience falls and fragility fractures as well as people involved in planning, delivery, researching and improving care and support to prevent and manage harm from falls.

The Scottish Government has worked with a range of stakeholders and colleagues to develop this draft Strategy; their aim has been to create a culture of partnership in which they take collective action, maximising and respecting the contribution of all partners. 

Strategy

Link to Consultation

May 2019

A network of Changing Places Toilets exists across Scotland but there is no current legislation requiring their provision within buildings. Regulation to require Changing Places Toilets in defined types of larger new building would increase the provision of such facilities nationally in a proportionate manner.

Through consultation, the Scottish Government sought to determine a proportionate and equitable requirement, set through building standards, for the provision of such facilities as part of new development. Such provision would be over and above the current provision of standard and accessible sanitary facilities in buildings.

• Read the consultation
• Read the RCOT response

February 2019

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) began regulating independent healthcare services in April 2011.  From 1 April 2016, they also began regulating independent clinics. They developed a complaints procedure to allow members of the public and others to complain to them about independent healthcare services registered with HIS. This complaints procedure needed to be reviewed and updated to keep HIS in line with other regulators and incorporate updated best practice.

The proposed draft complaints procedure set out three proposals:

• reducing the timescale in which we consider complaints from 12 months to 6 months from the date of the event
• introducing a post-investigation review stage in certain circumstances where a provider or complainant disagrees with an outcome decision, and
• publishing complaint outcome decisions on the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website.

Read the consultation.

February 2019

The draft National Action Plan on Neurological Conditions set out the vision of improving diagnosis, treatment and care of people with neurological conditions in Scotland, and described the Scottish Government’s commitment to achieve this vision.

This consultation invited people living with neurological conditions, carers, those who provide neurological services and wider health and social care organisations  to consider and respond to the commitments made in the draft plan.

The Scottish Government wanted to capture a wide range of views from the neurological community which is very diverse and includes people with many different types of neurological conditions, of different ages, and of different levels of health and wellbeing.

The Scottish Government wanted peoples' engagement with the issues and commitments  raised in the draft action plan, so that they could be sure (1) they have considered a wide range of perspectives in determining the priorities and commitments in the draft plan and (2) they have described the best actions possible to make improvements.

Read the consultation

December 2018

Healthcare Improvement Scotland published the draft General Standards for Neurological Care and Support for consultation.  Feedback was requested on all aspects of the standards, including the following:

• Standard statement
• Rationale
• Criteria

At the end of the consultation period, all comments received on the draft standards were collated and used to inform the development of the final standards.  The final standards, along with a summary of the responses to the consultation, will be published in early 2019 on the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website.

Link to consultation

November 2018

An independent review has been carried out of the Mental health Act (Scotland) for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

RCOT members were asked their views and examples to be included in the RCOT submission on the following questions:

• From your experience give examples of typical use of the Act, its strengths and weakness for:
  • People who have autism without a learning disability
  • People who have a learning disability only
  • People who have autism and a learning disability.
• From your experience does the Act ensure good practice in prescribing psychotropic medication for people with autism and/or a learning disability?
• From your experience does the Act ensure good access to psychological support for people with autism and/or a learning disability?
• From your experience how effectively does the Act interact with the criminal justice system
• for people with autism and/or a learning disability?
• Based on your experience with examples, does the Act protect the following nine areas human rights of people with autism and/or a learning disability:

Standards of living; health; freedom and safety; protection from abuse; independent living; dignity; equality and discrimination; accessibility; and implementation and monitoring.

• What are the benefits and disadvantages of autism and learning disability being included in the Act?
• What needs to change in the law to protect the human rights of people with autism and/or a learning disability?
• Is there anything else you wish to tell us about the Act?
• The BPS would like psychologists to be able to be Approved Medical Practitioners (AMPs) and Responsible Medical Officers (RMOs) within the Act for patients with learning disability and/or autism. Do you agree with this and any further extension such as for occupational therapists or nurses? Can you give examples of where this may work well?

Read the RCOT response

November 2018

The Scottish Government began work on developing a vision for how homes and communities should look and feel in 2040 and the options and choices to get there and published a discussion paper, Housing Beyond 2021. Ministers intended to engage extensively with a range of stakeholders in order to define the shape of the 2040 vision. This consultation ran until 30 November 2018, with a second round due in 2019.

Link to consultation: Housing Beyond 2021

August 2018

The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Bill was introduced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport on 23 May 2018. The Health and Sport Committee has been designated as the lead Committee by the Parliamentary Bureau for the Stage 1 scrutiny of the Bill. The stated aim of the Bill is to be an "enabler of high quality care and improved outcomes for service users in both the health service and care services by helping to ensure appropriate staffing for high quality care".

The Bill advises the aim will be achieved through rigorous, evidence-based decision-making in relation to staffing requirements. By taking account of service user health and care needs, whilst also promoting a safe environment for both service users and staff , this should ensure appropriate staffing for the delivery of safe and effective care.

The Bill aims to achieve this by: 

• creating a new statutory duty on geographical Health Boards, the Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service, the four Special Health Boards that deliver clinical health care services and all care service providers registered with the Care Inspectorate, to ensure that there are appropriate numbers of suitably qualified staff providing care, alongside guiding principles to be taken into account when carrying out this duty;
• including a requirement for these same health bodies to follow a staffing methodology, including the use of staffing and professional judgement tools, when determining staffing levels in certain specified healthcare settings; and
• including a function for the Care Inspectorate to work in collaboration with the care sector to develop and validate appropriate methodologies and tools for care home settings for adults, in the first instance. 

Read the consultation.

Read the RCOT response.