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A final report on the Neurological Care and Support in Scotland: A Framework for Action 2020-2025 will be published by the Scottish Government when the Framework reaches the end of its agreed lifespan. An assessment of future priorities for neurological conditions will be included.

To date, significant work has been undertaken to develop robust criteria for a national AI solution to assist with identifying patients who may benefit from a thrombectomy.

A tendering process has commenced and the suitability and affordability of AI solutions will determine whether Scottish Government proceeds with procurement.

The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) is designed to support the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care in Scotland, regardless of diagnosis.

The YPFF is a demand-led fund and the Scottish Government has ensured full funding against demand in each year since its launch on 26 July 2021. The 2025-26 budget has been set based on expected demand levels and the Scottish Government remains committed to provide full funding for the YPFF in 2025-26.

Other financial support is available to children and young people with a cancer diagnosis and their families for travel to hospital via the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under those schemes, patients and authorised escorts can reclaim reasonable costs of travel associated with attending a hospital appointment, in line with eligibility criteria and medical requirements.

The largest proportion of funding has been awarded to projects that improve services for all or more than one neurological condition, including services for carers. Direct investment was also made to projects for the following specific conditions:

• Acquired Brain Injury
• Cerebral Palsy
• Epilepsy
• Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
• Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
• Migraine
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
• Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures
• Spina bifida/ hydrocephalus

A full list of projects funded through the Neurological Framework can be found .

The aims contained in the document are applicable to healthcare delivery across Scotland. Through this we have supported a number of national initiatives to improve care and reduce variation, including:

• Self-evaluation by all NHS boards against the General Standards for Neurological Care and Support 2019. Development of national care pathways for headache and Functional Neurological Disorder, with care pathways for further conditions in development
• Agreement of a Business Case and funding to adopt the Scottish Epilepsy Register across Scotland, improving the safety and quality of care for people with epilepsy
• Development of a neurology nurse specialist competency framework
• Formation of collaborative improvement networks which include NHS boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, third sector organisations and people with lived experience to encourage consistent adoption of the successful approaches funded through the Framework
• Development, by third sector partners, of a toolkit for the consistent commissioning of social support for people with epilepsy
• Improved provision of public information on individual neurological conditions through the development and/or revision of 23 NHS inform webpages
• Through national charities, development of nationally-accessible sources of self-management support for people with MS, spina bifida hydrocephalus, progressive supranuclear palsy, cerebral palsy and non-epileptic seizures
• Re-development of the internationally recognised neurosymptoms.org web resource to support people with Functional Neurological Disorder
• Dissemination of nationally-accessible clinician education resource for ME/CFS

Priorities for the Scottish Government are:

• national implementation of the Scottish Epilepsy Register,
• further adoption of successful approaches to improving services through the neurological conditions network,
• continued improvements in provision of ‘social support’ and psychological services for people with neurological conditions,
• continued development and adoption of condition specific care pathways,
• continued development and adoption of approaches to workforce planning and training for nursing, pharmacy, neuropsychology allied health professionals, and neurophysiology.

This work will be considered as part of the development of the Long Term Conditions Strategy due to be published later this year. Any required funding will be considered during the 2025-26 budget deliberations.

The delivery of the Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland 2021- 2026 continues to be taken forwards by the Managed Service Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MSN CYPC) into 2026.

The progression of actions in the strategy are regularly reviewed by MSN CYPC and will inform any future national strategy approach required to ensure that children and young people with cancer will have access to the best possible treatment and care.

The draft budget published on 4 December 2024 includes new investment of £4.5 million to deliver new specialist support across the country for long COVID, ME, Chronic Fatigue, and other similar conditions.

Health Boards are expected to support patients and their families in identifying and accessing available support. Financial support for travel is available for patients and authorised escorts, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements, through schemes such as the Patient Travel Expenses Scheme (PTES) and the Highlands and Islands Travel Scheme (HITS).

Scottish Government has funded Young Lives Vs Cancer to provide practical advice and emotional and financial support to young people diagnosed with cancer and their families. This includes advice on potential welfare benefits as well as direct grants.

Further to this, we are working in partnership with Macmillan to improve the service we offer patients with cancer through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme (TCC). This partnership with Macmillan is worth £27 million and is the first of its kind in the UK. The programme ensures that every patient with cancer in Scotland has access to a specialist key support worker, who can provide emotional, financial, and practical support.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes annual data on 16 to 25 year olds with cancer in Scotland in their incidence statistics. The latest report is available on the

PHS also publishes information on cancer in children (ages 0 to 14) and young people (ages 15 to 24) in Scotland