Written Question · S6W-21155 · Session 6
Further to the letter of 16 June 2023 from the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to the COVID-19 Recovery Committee, setting ou…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 16 June 2023 from the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to the COVID-19 Recovery Committee, setting out its response to the report, Long COVID, whether it will provide further details of the fourth paragraph of its response to the recommendation at paragraph 180 of the report, which starts, "The Strategic Network is taking forward a dedicated workstream to agree the outcomes, indicators, monitoring and evaluation that will be collected and used to accelerate progress on and inform the planning and delivery of services".
The answer
Under the leadership of Public Health Scotland (PHS), the long COVID Strategic Network has developed a theory of change and logframe which form the basis of a comprehensive framework to evaluate long COVID services. Both the theory of change and logframe were developed in close consultation with representatives across the Network, including people with lived experience of long COVID, clinicians, researchers, service planners, local boards, PHS and Scottish Government officials.
The theory of change provides the context around what the Network is aiming to achieve, while the logframe is the complementary tool enabling the tracking of milestone indicators linked to process, outputs, and outcomes. For example, indicators include those linked to the implementation of long COVID service pathways, generation of research and evidence, and the development of an education and training strategy.
In addition, patient related experience and patient outcome measures will be recorded through NHS Boards’ use of the C-19 YRS digital screening tool. The provision of heath data through this tool will be of vital importance in understanding the provision and effectiveness of long COVID services. Where possible, the data will be disaggregated by age, gender, ethnicity, and deprivation quintile. This will support understanding of any inequitable variation in service provision, experience and outcomes which may need to be addressed through service changes.
A data and intelligence group has been established to oversee reporting against the monitoring and evaluation framework. This will allow the Network to have an informed understanding of overall progress of its support to the provision of long COID services.
The theory of change provides the context around what the Network is aiming to achieve, while the logframe is the complementary tool enabling the tracking of milestone indicators linked to process, outputs, and outcomes. For example, indicators include those linked to the implementation of long COVID service pathways, generation of research and evidence, and the development of an education and training strategy.
In addition, patient related experience and patient outcome measures will be recorded through NHS Boards’ use of the C-19 YRS digital screening tool. The provision of heath data through this tool will be of vital importance in understanding the provision and effectiveness of long COVID services. Where possible, the data will be disaggregated by age, gender, ethnicity, and deprivation quintile. This will support understanding of any inequitable variation in service provision, experience and outcomes which may need to be addressed through service changes.
A data and intelligence group has been established to oversee reporting against the monitoring and evaluation framework. This will allow the Network to have an informed understanding of overall progress of its support to the provision of long COID services.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S6W-21155 by reference.