FOI/202400402972 · FOI · unclear
How many staff employed communications support in the health and social care portfolio: FOI release
Information requested
How many staff are employed within the Scottish Government providing press and or communications support in the health and social care portfolio.
Response
The response is broken down into:
1. How many staff are employed within the Scottish Government providing press and/or communications support in the health and social care portfolio?
2. What is the total amount spent by the Scottish Government on staff in question 1?
3. How many vacancies are there currently within press and/or communications support relating to the health and social care portfolio? Which roles are these vacancies for?
1. Total of staff employed within the Scottish Government providing press and/or communications support in the health and social care portfolio set out below:
Team Responsibilities FTE figure*as of 2023/24 financial year Health and Social Care CorporateCommunications team The Corporate Communications team covers responsibilities across internal staff communication, NHS Board engagement and communications support, digital and social media, strategic communications and brand management across the health and social careportfolio. 4.6 FTE Embedded Communications Communications staff working within policy teams to identify communication requirements and undertake stakeholder engagement. 3.2 FTE National Care Service The Social Care and National Care Service Development Directorate leads on Social Care policy with a focus on supporting people to lead independent lives in their own communities. They also lead on the development and creation of a National Care Service, a cross government priority. The NCS Communications team has a key role in facilitating direct, two-way, communications between the NCS Programme, people with lived experience of receiving and delivering social care support and key stakeholders. This allows us to complement the co-design process in ensuring the NCS can be shaped with people at its very heart and best reflect the unique experiences of local communities. 4.5 FTE Health News Team This team explains Scottish Government policies, responds to media enquiries, supports four ministers and clinicians with media appearances and operates the @scotgovhealth twitter channel. The team also works collaboratively with communications teams from NHS Boards. News teams communicate with the public, through traditional media relations work with broadcast and print journalists and directly via social media, to promote and explain SG policy and positions. Using clear and creative communications products, teams support the Scottish Government's priorities. Work includes providing strategic communications advice on Programme for Government commitments and the legislative programme, forward planning of news and social media activity to help best deliver policy outcomes, supporting ministers on launches, engagements and media appearances and daily issues management such as responding to media enquiries or advising on the media handling of emerging or potential presentational issues. 17.1 FTE Health Marketing Team The team is responsible for the development and delivery of public information, direct response and behaviour change marketing to help achieve critical Scottish Government health outcomes. Impact can be achieved though paid-for-media activity such as TV, radio, outdoor or digital advertising or through website creation and management as a vital product for change. National activity across Scotland runs where required and targeted campaigns to key audiences are also deployed using email marketing, social media, partnership marketing and PR. All campaigns are evidence-led and informed by audience insight with rigorous testing of creative work inresearch before activation. They are also independently evaluated. Strategy & Insight Team Working with all communications disciplines, the Strategy & Insight Team undertakes research to understand audiences, behaviours, attitudes, motivations and barriers, to develop the most effective communications strategies and outputs. Leading the development of insight-driven communications strategies, informed by behavioural science, the team also provides robust evaluation of communications activity and regular population- wide polling which is also used to support policy decision making and inform communications. Total 29.4 FTE
2. The total amount spent by the Scottish Government on staff is set out in the table below.
Directorate Amount spent *as of 2023/24 financial year Health and Social Care Corporate Communications team £338,475 Embedded Communications £202,870 National Care Service £228.620 Health News Team, Health Marketing Team and Strategy & Insight Team £1,172,541.37 Total £1,942,506.37
3. The number of vacancies within the Scottish Government within press and/or communications support relating to the health and social care portfolio are set out in the table below.
Area Vacancy Health and Social Care Finance, Digital and Governance Comms Engagement Manager Comms Manager – Digital engagement Social Care and National Care Service Development Strategic Communications Manager Total 3
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Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Enquiry Unit Email: ceu@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrews House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
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