Chamber and committees

Five members of the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Executive Team met on 9 April 2013 at the Scottish Health Service Centre, an NHSScotland resource which is part of National Services Scotland. The cost was £277.

Like many organisations, Healthcare Improvement Scotland regularly survey staff to improve the way they work. The last survey, which was conducted in December 2012 shows improved scores in all areas. Some staff made comment around improving internal communications, which the organisation is taking seriously and working to ensure information is cascaded in a timely and consistent way.

The Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) staff survey and responses to it were intended for internal use and reference and as such there was no intention to publish the results. The key themes of the survey have been shared with the HIS Partnership Forum and Corporate Management Team and will be incorporated into the Staff Governance Action Plan for 2013-14. All HIS staff will be fully engaged in the implementation of the Staff Governance Action Plan.

Everyone with dementia, including those with learning difficulties are entitled to receive care, treatment and support in line with the Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland (2011). People with dementia and a learning difficulty should receive a multi-disciplinary assessment of their care needs, including attention to removing any barriers to effective communication between the person with dementia and service providers. The Promoting Excellence dementia skills framework, which is designed to help services meet the dementia standards, requires staff working at “Enhanced” level and above to understand the potential impact of a diagnosis of dementia on people with learning difficulties.

The new national HEAT target on post-diagnostic support provides the commitment that all people newly diagnosed with dementia from 1 April 2013, including those with a learning difficulty, will receive a minimum of a year’s worth of detailed and personalised care, treatment and support, coordinated by a link worker.

People with learning disabilities have a higher risk of developing dementia compared to the general population, with a significantly increased risk for people with Down syndrome and at a much earlier age. As part of the second National Dementia Strategy, to be published in June 2013, we intend to undertake a specific piece of work looking at the need for national action around linkages between dementia and other disabilities and chronic conditions; and the need for national action around early onset dementia.

Dentists in receipt of the dental bursary and unable to secure a vocational training (VT) place on graduation have a number of options, including deferring NHS dental work in Scotland for a year following graduation, or securing employment as an assistant in an independent practice which provides General Dental Services (GDS).

A dentist who is unable to secure a VT place following graduation will not therefore be required to repay their dental bursary, provided they did not turn down a VT place on geographical grounds, and they begin NHS dental work within one year of graduation.

It is anticipated that up to 175 students are expected to graduate from Scottish dental schools.

There are currently 140 dentistry vocational training (DVT) places available in Scotland, and NHS Education for Scotland is in the process of seeking additional dental practices willing to provide DVT in 2013.

We are aware of a potential mismatch between Scottish dental school graduates and availability of vocational training (VT) placements, and are actively exploring through NHS Education for Scotland several options to increase VT capacity in Scotland, including:

the initiation of a further recruitment drive of dental practice trainers (DVT);

contacting clinical leads in the salaried dental service in each of the territorial health boards to determine the extent of capacity;

determining capacity within the hospital dental service;

the relaxation of current criteria requirements in aspects of the recruitment of DVTs which will not affect the quality and development of the training provided.

As dental students are about to sit their finals, the overall supply and demand position remains fluid at this time and we will have a clearer picture on this issue by end May 2013.

There are several ways that a graduate dentist may gain employment within the NHSScotland without having to undertake vocational training (VT). Individuals can work within the NHSScotland as an assistant in the delivery of NHS General Dental Services (GDS) for an indefinite period.

It is also possible for a dentist to be employed in the community or hospital dental services. And, where a dentist wishes to work in the Salaried Service, a requirement if they wish to become a principal within the GDS, they may apply for a VT number through the VT Equivalence Panel, by demonstrating that their skills and experience equate to one year of VT.

As the final number of Scottish dental school graduates will not be known until 28 May 2013, it remains uncertain how many dental vocational training places (DVT) will be required to meet our commitment to match DVT places to Scottish dental school graduate output.

There are 140 DVT places currently available and from current projections that seek to match expected dental graduates to DVT places(subject to the outcome of their final exams and individual choices on where to pursue their careers), some 41 Scottish dental students who have registered an interest in a DVT place in Scotland have not yet been matched to a placement. Some of this number may also have applied elsewhere and have not yet notified NHS Education for Scotland (NES) of their withdrawal from the Scottish system.

NES is currently in the course of a second round of recruitment to increase the availability of DVT places within dental practices.