Chamber and committees

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 48 on the Management of Early Rheumatoid Arthritis which was published in December 2000 and updated in October 2004 is due to be replaced by a revised Guideline this autumn. The revised Guideline will address diagnosis, pharmacological treatment, and the role of the
multi-disciplinary team in improving care of the rheumatoid arthritis patient. It will also include issues for discussion with patients. Clinicians in NHSScotland are expected to follow the recommendations in SIGN Guidelines.

As is now its practice, SIGN will be preparing an implementation programme to accompany publication of the revised Guideline.

The work of the National Infertility Group seeks to address a number of issues concerning infertility services in Scotland. The group will submit its first report to Scottish Government Ministers by the end of 2010.

The work of the National Infertility Group seeks to address a number of issues concerning infertility services in Scotland. Fertility experts and the patient stakeholder group, Infertility Network Scotland, are core members of the group.

Our national strategies relate to the clinical priorities of NHSScotland, as set out in Better Health, Better Care, and the Government has no plans to expand these.

However, the Government recognises rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a serious condition which profoundly affects the lives of many people in Scotland. A wide range of work is therefore in hand to address it, including:

The exploration of a Managed Clinical Network approach to RA services;

The revision of Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 48 and the associated implementation programme being developed by NHS QIS;

The commissioning of the Scottish Public Health Network to undertake an update of the needs assessment for RA published by the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme in 2002;

Consideration of the approach to the management of RA that has been developed in the East of England;

Our general work on developing a musculo-skeletal programme based on integrated multi-disciplinary teams within community settings, incorporating the service model for pain management services that we are also developing; and

The work of the Orthopaedics Task & Finish group set up as part of the 18 weeks referral to treatment programme.

People living with RA will also benefit from our generic work on long-term conditions, including in particular our work on promoting self management.

The National Infertility Group discussed the findings of the survey undertaken by Infertility Network Scotland, and many of the issues raised by the survey are being considered by the group. The group will submit its first report to Scottish Government Ministers by the end of 2010.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the UK nursing and midwifery regulator, sets the standards of education and training that nurses and midwives need to deliver high quality healthcare. The NMC is responsible for approving education programmes in line with its Standards of Proficiency for Pre-registration Nursing Education and Standards of Proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses and Specialist Community Nurses.

NMC approved pre and post registration nursing and midwifery programmes include competencies relating to the standards for the delivery of safe and effective nutritional care; including assessment, referral, care planning and delivery.

Following registration, nursing professionals are expected to maintain their skills and competencies in relation to their area of practice and the patient population for whom they care. NHS boards may develop and deliver local educational initiatives for community nurses as part of their continuous professional development.

Within a community context, registered nurses will be involved in the assessment of nutrition status as part of wider healthcare assessments and appropriate referral to clinical experts, including dieticians, GPs and other professionals with appropriate expertise.

Community nurses may be involved in the treatment of malnutrition by delivering the nursing elements of an individual''s care package as part of a wider multi-disciplinary team approach.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34885 on 15 July 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Telephony services within the Scottish Government are centrally managed by the Information Services and Information Systems (ISIS) division. ISIS is following the advice of the communications regulator, OFCOM, and is in the process of implementing the use of non geographic 030 numbers. ISIS has reserved a block of 030 numbers for use by the Scottish Government.

This is a matter for Fife Council as an independent corporate body.

The Scottish Government has not conducted any studies to assess the impact on or benefits for different income groups of the use of non-geographic or 03 telephone numbers by public bodies. We understand, however, that the industry regulator, OFCOM, is currently carrying out a review of all non-geographic call services, including 03 telephone numbers, and that the impact on consumers of the use of these numbers by public bodies will be considered as part of this review.