Chamber and committees

There are no plans to introduce a HEAT target in relation to chronic pain services this year. The Scottish Government reviews HEAT targets on an annual basis with decisions on new targets based on evidence and impact.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) are currently developing a guideline for the management of chronic pain, with a public consultation event scheduled in December 2012. Following publication of the SIGN guideline consideration can be given as to whether HEAT can support improvement / delivery.

The Care Inspectorate can cancel registration of a care service in a number of scenarios. It has the power to withdraw registration from care homes where it has served an Improvement Notice and this has not been complied with within the period specified in the Notice. It can also cancel registration of a service where the person providing the registered care service ceases to provide the service. Since1 April 2011, 1 registration of a care service was cancelled during the period 2011-12.

The National Chronic Pain Steering Group continues to make steady progress in taking forward an extensive work plan and is working with NHS boards to provide support in implementing the service model.

As part of the group’s work plan Healthcare Improvement Scotland recently published a benchmarking report on chronic pain services in Scotland. The purpose of the report was to provide an update on the provision of chronic pain services since the publication of the GRIPs report and provide recommendations to assist NHS Board in the planning of services. Findings from the audit show that there has been improvement in service provision since the GRIPS report of 2007.

The report is available on the Healthcare Improvement website at:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/long_term_conditions/chronic_pain/chronic_pain_update_report.aspx.

The establishment of service improvement groups/Managed Clinical Networks are seen as a key way of implementing the Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain. The National Chronic Pain Steering Group has been working with boards to support them to develop improvement plans. This has resulted in a number of successful bids to establish service improvement groups/managed clinical networks, most of which are in the early stages of development.

The GRIPS report (2007) published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and revised in 2008, set out six priority actions aimed at improving service provision. The previous Cabinet Secretary addressed the first priority action by recognising chronic pain as a condition in its own right in May 2008.

Following the publication of the GRIPs report the Scottish Government appointed a Lead Clinician for Chronic Pain and established the National Chronic Pain Steering Group. The Scottish Government has proactively promoted the need to develop chronic pain services and implementation of the GRIPs actions will be achieved through the implementation of the Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain in addition to the range of work being progressed by the National Steering Group.

In addition to funding the lead clinician the Scottish Government has also provided funding for three part time facilitator posts. The facilitators are employed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and support the Lead Clinician to co-ordinate the various work streams within the National Chronic Pain Steering Group’s work plan for 2012-13.

The Scottish Government continues to advocate the role of managed clinical networks in improving the provision of services, including those for chronic pain. We are encouraging NHS boards who have not already done so to establish these.

Information on how many pain consultants there are in multidisciplinary chronic pain teams in each NHS board area for (a) adult and (b) children services, is not held centrally. However I would like to refer the member to the Benchmarking Report published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland on 26 October 2012:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/long_term_conditions/chronic_pain/chronic_pain_update_report.aspx.

The audit has identified the current resources available in relation to NHS Board populations and provides up to date information on the provision of pain management services in each NHS Board area. This information will assist NHS Boards to identify any gaps and variation in local services and provides recommendations to inform planning and assist in the implementation of the Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain.

The recently published benchmarking report on chronic pain services recognised there are gaps in the provision of children’s services for chronic pain. The Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain applies to everyone living with chronic pain.

The National Chronic Pain Steering Group will continue to work with Boards to take forward implementation of the Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain ensuring that plans reflect the needs of both adults and children. It is anticipated that any service improvement groups/Managed Clinical Networks established for Chronic Pain will work to improve services for all regardless of age.

Information on how many pain consultants there are in multidisciplinary chronic pain teams in each NHS board area for (a) adult and (b) children services, is not held centrally. However, I would like to refer the member to the Benchmarking Report published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland on 26 October 2012:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/long_term_conditions/chronic_pain/chronic_pain_update_report.aspx.

The audit has identified the current resources available in relation to NHS Board populations and provides up to date information on the provision of pain management services in each NHS Board area. This information will assist NHS Boards to identify any gaps and variation in local services and provides recommendations to inform planning and assist in the implementation of the Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain.

It is for each Partnership to decide how to disburse Early Years and Reshaping Care Change Fund resources locally.

The Scottish Government is providing £900k over the period 2012-2015 to support the third sector to play a key role in the Reshaping care Change Fund programme. The Joint Improvement Team (JIT) has undertaken a mid-year review of 2012-13 Reshaping Care Change Plans, and will report its findings to the Delivery Group on Health and Community Care in due course.

The third sector is also a key partner in the Early Years and Early Intervention Change Fund - providing £272m over the period of the spending review. They are members of the Early Years Taskforce and partners in the Early Years Collaborative, launched on the 1 October, a multi-agency, local, quality improvement programme at a national scale.

Whilst all allocations of Early Years Change Fund resources will have some impact on the third sector, £15m for PlayTalkRead, Bookbug, Play and Communities and Families Fund between 2012-2015 will be allocated solely to the third sector.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-05615 on 9 March 2012. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I am advised that, as at 7 November, four patients have been treated by the national transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) service in Edinburgh. Patients have been referred by three NHS boards.

The national TAVI service expects to carry out around 50 TAVI procedures each year, and will continue to consider referrals from across Scotland.