Community link workers and Adult Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing fund: FOI release

Information requested

1. The Scottish Government’s Report of Primary Care Health Inequalities Short Life Working Group states that funding of £600,000 has gone to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and is ring fenced for additional link worker posts. Please confirm how many link worker posts have been created and how many posts have been filled? How many posts have still to be filled?
2. The report states that a national network and community practice for community link workers has been created. Please provide details of the network, i.e. who is in the network, what are its aims and what does it do?
3. The report states that a £15 million Adult Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing fund was created in October 2021. Please confirm who this money has been paid to and how the money has spent to date?

Response

1. As at March 2021, the total headcount of Community Links Workers (CLWs) in Scotland is 218. This equates to 189.3 whole time equivalent (WTE). NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is made up of 6 Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs). The headcount of CLWs for each HSCP, at March 2021, is located in the table below:

HSCP	Number of CLWs (Headcount)
Glasgow City	43
East Dunbartonshire	3
East Renfrewshire	4
Inverclyde	6
Renfrewshire	13
West Dunbartonshire	3
TOTAL	72

57% of General Practices in Scotland have full access to a CLW, whose services are not intended to be universal but allocated on the basis of need.

The posts in the table above are funded through the Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF). Some areas may have posts funded through other means.

In relation to your request on the number of posts that have been created but are currently vacant, under section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), while our aim is to provide information when possible, the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. Source: https://www.gov.scot/publications/primary-care-improvement-plans-summary- implementation-progress-march-2021/documents/

The data for up to March 2022 has been pre-announced for publication on 21 June 2022. Therefore an FOI exemption applies under 27(1), where information is exempt if it is due to be published within 12 weeks at the point of the request, where it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information be withheld until the publication date. 

2. The Scottish Community Link Worker Network is a national network for community link workers in primary care. It is run by Voluntary Health Scotland and is funded by the Scottish Government. As stated on its website, “The aim of the network is to create a space for community link workers in primary care settings in Scotland to come together to share learning and to develop, network and support each other in order to improve outcomes for their patients and communities.”

More information about its activities and contact details are available on the Network’s section of the Voluntary Health Scotland website: The Scottish Community Link Worker Network (vhscotland.org.uk)

3. Please see the table below which provides details of payments from the Adult Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund (the fund), which were paid to the Third Sector Interface (TSIs) organisations in November 2021. The TSIs are responsible for allocation of the Fund at a local level, including processing applications from and awarding of individual grants to third sector organisations who meet the aims of the Fund. Therefore, the full details of applications made and awards for funding are held by the TSIs. The Scottish Government does hold details of some individual organisations who have received funding from the TSIs. A list is attached at Annex A which outlines the organisation funded by the TSI and where applicable, the name of the project within the organisation being funded, as well as the amount awarded. You should note that this is based solely on the information currently held by the Scottish Government as at 10 May 2022. You may wish to note that additional information is available from the TSIs (see Annex A).

Name of Third Sector Interface	Amount awarded
East Ayrshire Council of Voluntary Organisations	£358,466.93
Arran CVS - Third Sector Interface North Ayrshire -	£407,213.24
Voluntary Action South Ayrshire	£340,656.74
Scottish Borders - managed by Third Sector, Dumfries and Galloway	£318,924.96
Third Sector, Dumfries and Galloway	£448,795.86
Fife Voluntary Action	£1,021,915.50
Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise/Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface	£384,830.33
Council for Voluntary Sector, Falkirk	£431,985.70
Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations	£571,873.72
Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action	£631,630.61
Third Sector Interface, Moray	£257,199.41
East Dunbartonshire Voluntary Action	£278,124.84
Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire	£238,704.67
Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector	£1,789,605.95
Council for Voluntary Service, Inverclyde	£244,609.99
Engage Renfrewshire	£509,542.91
West Dunbartonshire CVS	£271,289.50
Argyll & Bute Third Sector Interface	£285,284.40
Highland Third Sector Interface	£703,549.48
Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire	£951,444.58
Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire	£888,317.44
Volunteer Centre East Lothian	£278,832.73
Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council (partners with Volunteer Edinburgh/ESEN)	£1,255,065.18
Midlothian Voluntary Action	£241,549.96
Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian	£470,257.11
Voluntary Action Orkney	£75,197.34
Voluntary Action Shetland	£73,265.82
Voluntary Action Angus	£324,072.58
Dundee Voluntary Action and Volunteer Centre Dundee	£434,655.48
Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Services	£412,861.80
Third Sector Interface Western Isles	£100,275.26
Total amount paid out	£15,000,000.00

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The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202200396132 Annex A

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