Prescription numbers for Cannabis Based products for Medicinal use (CBPMs) are not collected by the Scottish Government.

Private prescription numbers for Cannabis Based products for Medicinal use (CBPMs) are not collected by the Scottish Government.

There are three Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal use (CBPMs) available on the NHS in Scotland to treat specific conditions. These are:

• Nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, as an add-on treatment for adults with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting;
• Sativex ® , a combination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol for moderate to severe spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis; and
• Epidyolex ® , a cannabidiol for treating seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.

The biggest barrier to the prescribing of other CBPMs on the NHS is that most products remain unlicensed with a limited, or non-existent, peer-reviewed clinical evidence base for their use. We continue to engage with the manufacturers of these products, encouraging them to bring their products to clinical trial. This would allow them to go through the medicine licensing process and be available to be considered for routine availability on the NHS through standard health technology appraisal processes.

The bus system was re-regulated by the UK Government in the 1980s and is primarily operated by private bus operators. The Scottish Government continues to support the bus industry through the Network Support Grant. The purpose of the financial support provided is to help to keep services more extensive and fares more affordable than would otherwise be the case.

The majority of services in Scotland are operated on a commercial basis by private bus companies. Under the Transport Act 1985, where there is a social need local transport authorities can provide subsidy for services that are not provided on a commercial basis, this is entirely a matter for the local authority to consider and action.

The Scottish Government have brought forward an enhanced suite of options for local transport authorities to improve bus services according to their local needs, including formal partnerships, franchising and running their own bus services. The Community Bus Fund was launched in September 2023 to support local transport authorities to explore the options in the Transport Act, and to improve public transport in their areas.

Transport Scotland carried out studies last year to assess the possibility of including Langholm on the existing A74(M) signage. As the motorway signs in question are relatively new, extremely large and expensive to replace, it was felt the most appropriate way to consider this opportunity was to address it when the sign needs replaced upon its serviceable life. Based on the expected lifespan of these type of sign, there are no immediate plans to amend the signs in the near future.

Eligible 2 year olds and all 3 year olds are eligible for funded early learning and childcare from the beginning of the first term after the child’s 2nd or 3rd birthday. Local authorities have discretionary powers under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to provide funded ELC to 2 and 3 year olds earlier than the statutory start dates, and are responsible for setting local admission policies.

We value our teachers and education professionals and are committed to understanding their needs and providing them with the right support. Since October 2020 we have invested more than £2 million specifically in supporting wellbeing in the education workforce.

This year we are providing £200,000 to offer free wellbeing coaching to teaching staff and educational professionals across Scottish schools and early learning facilities.

We are also funding the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland to deliver an Education Workforce Support Project, to gain a comprehensive understanding of current practice about how we support the wellbeing of our education workforce.

Over the last 4 years we have seen a big expansion in specialist perinatal mental health services in Scotland so that all 14 Health Boards now have specialist perinatal mental health services to support women and babies. We have also developed enhanced Mother & Baby Unit provision and established new infant mental health and Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Interventions services across Scotland.

Currently provision within inpatient and community perinatal mental health services spans pregnancy and the first postnatal year. There may be some circumstances where patients may be seen beyond the 12 month period. This decision rests with the local perinatal mental health team and should be based on what a patient needs and what the service can realistically provide given current caseload, waits, and capacity.

It is important to identify the service which is most helpful for the patient, which may sometimes be a Community Perinatal Mental Health Team but could also be an infant mental health service, Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Interventions (MNPI) or adult mental health services. We are committed to taking an integrated approach to service provision, so that there are no barriers to ensuring that women and infants get the most appropriate service for their needs and can easily transition between services as that need changes.

The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government.

We support our local authority partners with £16 million in funding to ensure that every secondary school has access to counselling services. All school pupils aged 10 and above have access to in person school counselling services.

Local authorities currently provide six monthly reports on school counselling services which include information around number of children accessing the service, improved outcomes, counsellor numbers and the types of issues young people are presenting with. A summary of the reports can be found at: Access to counsellors in secondary schools and children and young people’s community mental health services – summary reports - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government has also provided revised guidance and professional learning for school staff to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.