Health and Community Care Committee, 09 Feb 2000
Meeting date: Wednesday, February 9, 2000
Official Report
175KB pdf
Outside Organisations (Contacts)
The fourth item on the agenda concerns contacts between the committee and outside organisations.
I know that all members of the committee attend meetings with groups and health service staff from facilities in their constituencies and throughout Scotland. As convener, I meet a number of groups every week. This paper lists some of the approaches that have been made to us by different organisations. I do not want to go through them all line by line, but a variety of people have offered us information, presentations, possible inquiry topics, visits and so on. I would like committee members to look at the paper and offer comments. If the committee agrees, I can come to a future meeting with possible suggestions as to how we take this forward.
I see some merit in taking briefings from some of the organisations that have offered us information. I do not wish to pick anyone out, but the paper lists groups such as the Common Services Agency, which covers a range of issues including the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health. Also listed is the NHS Confederation in Scotland, which wants to talk to us about the issue of clinical governance.
Would it be acceptable to come to a future meeting with a couple of suggested dates for briefing by those organisations? At the same time, we must be aware that some of the issues raised will feature in other reviews and reports that we are putting together. For example, Perth and Kinross Council has asked to speak to us about its invest to save project in relation to the community care inquiry. I have already suggested that we should take oral evidence from the council.
At various points in our work, we will come into contact with some of the organisations listed. I am aware of the pressure on members' time, but it would be useful if we could put together briefings from those organisations. If members have any comments or suggestions, they should e-mail them to the committee clerk, so that we can suggest some dates for briefing. Is that agreed?
Members indicated agreement.
Could we link some of the items with the letter that we received on the Executive's work programme?
Yes.