Chamber and committees

The information for those in rheumatology specialty training is in the following table, by NHS Education for Scotland Deanery:

Rheumatology WTE Training Grade Establishment

	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13
West	11	11	13	13	13
South East	4	4	5	5	5
East	3	3	3	2	2
North	4	4	3	3	2
Total	22	22	24	23	22

The Scottish Government has no plans to hold a summit on rheumatoid arthritis at this time.

We have good working relationships with key stakeholders and are in regular contact with them to discuss any concerns regarding care and support for people living with all forms of arthritis.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

6 November 2012

Index Heading: Health and Social Care

Helen Eadie (Cowdenbeath) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what (a) recent assessment it has made of the effectiveness of rheumatoid arthritis services and (b) steps it (i) is taking and (ii) plans to take to encourage NHS boards to deliver services in line with this assessment in the next six months.

(S4W-10473)

Michael Matheson: The recently published Health Care Needs Assessment (HCNA) on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) was conducted by the Scottish Public Health Network at the request of Scottish Government. The HCNA outlines current RA service provision across Scotland and makes a number of recommendations that aim to assist NHS boards to plan and develop services for people living with RA.

The role of the Scottish Government is to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS boards in order that they can deliver services that meet the needs of their local population.

It is for NHS boards to plan and provide services in accordance with national and local priorities, in line with the health needs of their resident populations. NHS boards will need to consider how they will take the recommendations in the HCNA forward. A number of the recommendations within the HCNA are applicable nationally and we are considering these and how we can support NHS boards to take them forward.

A Health Care Needs Assessment (HCNA) on Rheumatoid Arthritis has recently been published. This was conducted by the Scottish Public Health Network at the request of Scottish Government and outlines current RA service provision across Scotland. It also makes a number of recommendations that aim to assist NHS boards to plan and develop services for people living with RA.

The Scottish Government has overall responsibility for healthcare policy; however, it is for healthcare providers and professionals to implement that policy at local level, adhering to the legislation, regulations and guidance that are in place.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence provide guidelines for use in England and Wales and these guidelines have no formal standing in Scotland.

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines are recommended to NHSScotland and should be taken into account when services are being planned and developed. Implementation of SIGN guidelines is the responsibility of NHS boards and their operating divisions, reinforced by the twin “levers” of clinical governance and Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

The SIGN guideline 123 on the Management of Early Rheumatoid Arthritis was published in February 2011 and covers the diagnosis and management of early RA.

The Scottish Government is taking a range of work forward to ensure GPs have appropriate knowledge and skills in supporting self management across all conditions. This agenda has been taken forward through the appointment of the Scottish Government’s Clinical Lead for Self Management and Health Literacy, who is a GP. The training curriculum for GPs is under the stewardship of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), the clinical lead is working closely with RCGP on this agenda - not just regarding rheumatoid arthritis, but for those living with any Long Term Condition.

In addition, Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) around Scotland have incorporated learning events for GPs on self management, raising awareness of self management programmes particularly around arthritis and pain.

For example, Angus CHP have been proactive in raising awareness amongst GPs of courses and support for people with arthritis and pain including Arthritis Forum and pain management courses run by Pain Association Scotland.

In addition the implementation of Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain is being taken forward by the Scottish Government’s Lead Clinician on Chronic Pain. The model has a strong focus on improving supported self management in primary care for people living with pain.

<>The Scottish Government supports access to affordable and healthy food for all. We acknowledge that with increasing food prices this is becoming a greater concern. In order to assess the impact we monitor the percentage of Scottish household expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages by income decile. This is included in our 'Food and Drink in Scotland Key Facts 2012' publication which can be accessed here http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/03/3347.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

6 November 2012

Index Heading: Health and Social Care

Helen Eadie (Cowdenbeath) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to encourage the sharing of good practice among health professionals in treating rheumatoid arthritis.

(S4W-10469)

Michael Matheson: A Health Care Needs Assessment (HCNA) on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) has recently been published. It was conducted by the Scottish Public Health Network at the request of Scottish Government and outlines current RA service provision across Scotland.It makes a number of recommendations that aim to assist NHS boards to plan and develop services for people living with RA.

The role of the Scottish Government is to provide policies frameworks and resources to NHS boards in order that they can deliver services that meet the needs of their local population.

It is for NHS boards to plan and provide services in accordance with national and local priorities, in line with the health needs of their resident populations. NHS boards will need to consider how they will take the recommendations in the HCNA forward. A number of the recommendations within the HCNA are applicable nationally and we are considering the implications of these and how we can support NHS Boards to take them forward.

This information is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government has no plans to conduct a formal evaluation of NHS self-management programmes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

It is for NHS boards to plan and provide services in accordance with national and local priorities and in line with the health needs of their resident populations. NHS boards are expected to review services and facilities regularly to ensure that they continue to reflect local needs and provide the best quality healthcare services. This would include any self management programmes they provide.

The voluntary sector has an important role to play in supporting NHS boards to deliver high quality services. In delivering services NHS boards can make use of self management programmes for a wide range of conditions.

The information that is available is given in the following table.

Statistics of deaths in other parts of the United Kingdom are produced by the Office for National Statistics (for England and Wales) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Both organisations make a range of published tables available on their web sites, and both have enquiry points which you can approach if you are seeking breakdowns that are more detailed than their standard published figures.

Deaths, registered in Scotland, of people aged 16 and over, for which the underlying cause of death was adult rheumatoid arthritis*

Year of registration of death

Area of residence**	2007	2008	2009	2011	2012
Cowdenbeath constituency	3	1	0	1	1
NHS Fife	8	3	3	9	11
Scotland	139	107	104	106	98

*the underlying cause of the death was given one of the following codes from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10):

(i) M05 - seropositive rheumatoid arthritis

or (ii) M06 - other rheumatoid arthritis

or (iii) M45 - ankylosing spondylitis and the cause of death mentioned "rheumatoid"

**deaths of people who lived outwith Scotland are counted on the basis of where they died.