Chamber and committees

We are developing an access target for psychological therapies for inclusion in HEAT in 2011-12 which will allow us to measure the referral to treatment times for psychological therapies.

Ongoing work to support service change includes:

·        The commitment to develop an access target for psychological therapies for inclusion in HEAT in 2011-12;

·        Improving the range and availability of training to increase the current workforce''s capacity and competency to deliver evidence based psychological therapies;

·        Roll out of NHS NES competence-based psychological therapies supervision training;

·        Reviewing and updating the matrix guide to delivering evidence based psychological therapies;

·        Funding the NHS NES Psychological Interventions Team to co-ordinate the strategic planning and development of psychological therapies across Scotland;

·        Establishing local integrated care pathways for depression in line with national standards, and

·        Priority attention to increasing the number of psychologists working in specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) with £6.5 million available over three years to NHS boards to support delivery of the CAMHS HEAT target.

We are developing an access target for psychological therapies for inclusion in HEAT in 2011-12 which will allow us to measure the referral to treatment times for psychological therapies.

It is the responsibility of the Scottish Prison Service to monitor the performance of HMP Kilmarnock. That performance has been satisfactory and I have no cause to discuss the matter at my regular meetings with the Cabinet Secretary.

It is the responsibility of the Scottish Prison Service to monitor the performance of HMP Addiewell. That performance has been satisfactory and I have had no cause to discuss the matter at my regular meetings with the Cabinet Secretary.

Both HMP Kilmarnock and HMP Addiewell contracts have been drawn up to deliver value for money and the performance measurement system for each ensures that this is achieved in respect of actual performance.

The Scottish Prison Service has no plans to assess the differences between the contracts for HMP Kilmarnock and HMP Addiewell. The service specification for both prison contracts is output based and contractors are assessed with regard to value for money and reduction of re-offending in measuring performance against the contract requirements for each prison.

Both HMP Kilmarnock and HMP Addiewell contribute to the reduction of re-offending by offering a range of programmes aimed at reducing offending by prisoners. At Kilmarnock this is based on a more traditional industrial and occupational model, whereas Addiewell provides a more educational based regime, operating as a learning prison with all purposeful activity designed to have a learning element.