Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S7W-03633

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it will engage with specialist charities and clinicians in the development of a Paediatric Long Term Conditions Framework.

Question reference: S7W-03634

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will begin work on a Paediatric Long Term Conditions Framework.

Our Programme for Government 2026 – 2031 sets out our commitment to strengthen support for children with long-term conditions. Clinical advice from the Chief Medical Officer and the Scottish Government’s Senior Medical Advisory for Paediatrics is clear that paediatrics requires its own approach, tailored to the needs of children and young people. It is vital that we take the time needed to understand those needs at the outset and we will set out how we will take forward this work in due course.

This work will link with delivery of our wider NHS Reform ambitions and our Long Term Conditions Strategy for Adults, which we expect to publish in March 2027. Transitions from paediatric to adult services will be one of the initial areas of focus within this Strategy, as these are managed by adult services.

Question reference: S7W-03871

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 29 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-00472 by Angela Constance on 8 June 2026, and in light of technical design work now being underway for the replacement of the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh, what update it can provide on the current timetable for completion of the project, and what changes, if any, have been made to that timetable since June 2026.

Question reference: S7W-03406

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce premature male mortality in the Edinburgh and Lothians East region.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving life expectancy and tackling health inequalities across the whole population.

The latest published National Records of Scotland data on life expectancy at birth in Scotland (by council area) for the 5 year period covering 2020-2024, shows that life expectancy at birth for males was 77.9 years in City of Edinburgh, 78.7 in East Lothian and 77.6 in Midlothian, compared to 76.7 in Scotland as a whole.

Last year, the Scottish Government and COSLA published the Population Health Framework, which sets out a cross-government, cross-sector approach to improving

life expectancy while reducing the gap in life expectancy between the 20% most deprived areas and the national average, by 2035. The Framework sets out the actions the Scottish Government and its partners are taking forward within the first two years by: supporting healthy environments; good early years and education; good work and income; and equitable health and care.

In addition, Scottish Government’s Programme for Government places a strong emphasis on the need to shift towards prevention and early intervention. This includes action to address alcohol and drug-related harm and to encourage healthier lifestyles among men, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and poor mental wellbeing.

Embedding prevention across public services is fundamental to improving population health outcomes for individuals and securing the long-term sustainability of Scotland’s health and care system.

Question reference: S7W-03407

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to commission mental health service models that are proven to reach and retain men in the Edinburgh and Lothians East region.

The planning, commissioning and delivery of mental health services is the responsibility of local territorial Health Boards and Integration Joint Boards (IJBs), working through Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs). We expect local partners to assess the needs of their communities and ensure that appropriate mental health services are available, including services that effectively engage and support men.

While the Scottish Government does not directly commission specific local mental health service models, we continue to invest in and support approaches that have been shown to engage men effectively. This includes funding peer support initiatives through Creating Hope Together, Scotland's suicide prevention strategy, and continued investment in programmes such as SAMH's The Changing Room: Extra Time, which uses football-based engagement to support men's mental health.

We have also invested £99 million in the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults since 2021. Delivered through local Third Sector Interfaces, the Fund supports community-based mental health initiatives, including projects and groups that engage men, based on locally identified needs and priorities. One example of this is Dads Rock, which received £8,755 in Year 4 of the Fund to support the mental health and wellbeing of new fathers.

Question reference: S7O-00369

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its engagement with partners, relevant groups and communities regarding the rollout of bleed kits to community settings, including the timeline for that rollout.

Question reference: S7W-02976

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to ending corridor care in NHS Scotland, and, if so, whether it will set clear milestones, timelines and accountability mechanisms to ensure that people are no longer treated in corridors and other non-clinical spaces.

On 31 August 2026 we published the Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031. It sets out the Scottish Government’s position that corridor care is unacceptable, and should be eradicated. The plan includes a clear commitment to tackle overcrowding and corridor care, creating safer and more dignified environments for patients and staff.

Ministers will have direct oversight of this improvement activity through our Collaborative Response and Assurance Group. More detailed work is now underway with Health Boards to establish monitoring of delivery of the Improving Flow Plan, to ensure progress is made. Delivery plans are being developed which will set out actions, milestones and accountability mechanisms.

Question reference: S7W-02977

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine's recommendation that hospital bed occupancy should not exceed 85% in order to support safe patient flow and provide surge capacity, whether it will adopt 85% hospital bed occupancy as a national performance metric and, if so, what action it will take to support NHS boards to maintain that level of occupancy.

Angela Constance: The Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031recognises that hospitals often operate at high occupancy levels, which can contribute to delays in patient flow and longer waits for care. To address this, the Plan sets out a range of actions to improve the flow of patients into, through and out of hospital, supporting timely access to care and reducing unnecessary delays.

Reducing delayed discharge is a key priority within the Plan, as it plays an important role in improving patient flow and reducing hospital occupancy. The Plan will support the wider adoption of Discharge Without Delay, Home First and Discharge to Assess approaches, alongside enhanced system co-ordination and increased Hospital at Home capacity. Through these measures, we will continue to support NHS boards to reduce avoidable hospital occupancy, improve capacity and resilience, and ensure patients receive care in the most appropriate setting.

We will keep our approach to performance measurement under review as the Plan is implemented and as evidence emerges on the most effective ways to monitor and improve patient flow across the system.

Question reference: S7W-02975

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve whole-system patient flow, including through seven-day discharge services, increased social care capacity and shared responsibility across hospital departments, in addition to measures focused on redirecting patients from Emergency Departments.

The Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031 sets out a coordinated national response to reduce delayed discharge, improve urgent and unscheduled care performance, strengthen community alternatives and support faster, safer discharge from hospital. All hospital departments and the wider health and social care system have a part to play and must work collaboratively to improve patient flow through the system - thereby ensuring patients can receive the right care in the right place with no unnecessary delays to the patient journey.

The Plan includes implementing Discharge Without Delay principles across all territorial NHS Boards, with discharge planning beginning on day one of a hospital stay and setting up of Integrated Discharge Teams to support patients back home with the right support throughout the full week. The DWD Programme recognises that sustainable improvements in flow cannot be achieved through hospital-based interventions alone and require a whole-system approach involving community health services, primary care, social care, rehabilitation, reablement, Home First approaches and effective discharge planning.

Question reference: S7W-02678

Asked by: Kayleigh Kinross-O'Neill, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether areas with greater Hospital at Home capacity have experienced improved performance in Emergency Departments, lower delayed discharge rates and lower hospital occupancy than areas with less capacity.

We continue to work closely with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Public Health Scotland to monitor and review the progress of the Hospital at Home programme.

While activity levels vary across NHS Boards, reflecting differences in local population size and service provision ,during 2025-26, more than 17,000 people aged 65 and over avoided a hospital stay through access to Hospital at Home services across Scotland. Our aim in providing care at home is to reduce pressure on acute hospital capacity, support lower occupancy levels, and improve patient flow from Emergency Departments through the wider hospital system.

Hospital at Home is a key priority, however, Emergency Department performance is influenced by a wide range of factors across the whole health and social care system and cannot be attributed to any single intervention alone.

As set out in the Scottish Government's recently published Health and Care Improving Flow Plan, improving flow through hospitals requires a coordinated programme of actions across urgent and unscheduled care, inpatient care, discharge processes, community health services and social care.