Chamber and committees

It is expected that private providers will follow the guidance issued by the Chief Medical Officer during 2012 and are expected to provide a clinically appropriate package of care to their patients. The first port of call for all patients who have undergone breast augmentation in the private sector is their original provider.

NHSScotland boards are expected to follow workforce planning guidance as outlined in NHS CEL 32(2011). It is the responsibility of each health board to produce workforce plans on an annual basis and to take into consideration the training and development needs of their staff. Demand is based upon NHS board workforce projections for staffing groups while supply is determined by the current stock of trainees.

We are advised by the Golden Jubilee Hospital that its projection to recruit a trainee clinical perfusionist for academic year September 2014, forms part of its workforce planning arrangements, taking into account future succession planning, and potential plans to establish a national training centre or programme at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital for trainee clinical perfusionists.

NHS Education for Scotland have advised that there was no note taken of the discussion between the Healthcare Science Programme Manager at NHS Education for Scotland and the President of the College of Clinical Perfusion Scientists of Great Britain and Ireland.

NHS Lothian is the only board in Scotland who have applied for a recruitment and retention premium for perfusionists. In order to put a recruitment and retention premium in place, an NHS board must apply through the agreed procedure, providing evidence to support the application. This is then considered by the Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee, the partnership body which oversees the Agenda for Change system in Scotland.

I requested a meeting with the Secretary of State for Health on 15 January 2013 to discuss value based pricing and its impact on access to new medicines in Scotland. My request for a meeting was subsequently passed to Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality.

This information is not centrally collected.

This information is not held centrally.

This information is not held centrally.

NHS boards are responsible for the organisation and planning of services to meet the needs of their resident population. Consequently it is for boards to decide the bed capacity needs to deliver services within the waiting time guarantee and standards.

As the Member will be aware, we announced on 8 May 2013, the development of a new capacity and performance planning tool to support boards. The tool is being developed to ensure that hospitals and communities have the right beds in place to treat patients as Scotland’s health service facing the challenges of an ageing population.

The bed planning tool is in the initial stages of development. It will be developed in consultation with clinical professionals from across NHSScotland to instil and ensure a consistent approach. This new tool will be used alongside the established workforce planning tool which have been made mandatory that all NHS boards use.

No – the overall spending on private healthcare represents less than 0.5% of the NHS boards baseline resource budget.

The increase in the use of private healthcare relate mainly to two boards who are currently experiencing capacity issues - NHS Grampian and Lothian. In relation to NHS Lothian they are now dealing with the challenge that the ERI was planned with capacity that 20% lower than required to meet today’s needs. That is why they are currently making significant use of the private healthcare sector at a cost of £12 million until they increase sufficient local capacity and staff resources in their hospitals.

Grampian have recently agreed a £16 million investment programme that will increase capacity by building new theatres and employing more doctors, nurses and support staff. This additional local capacity will be available in 2014 – this will significant reduce their need of the private healthcare sector from 2014-15.

The Scottish Government policy is clear that boards should only use the private healthcare sector to address short-term capacity issues.