Chamber and committees

NHS boards are responsible for planning, providing and securing the provision of NHS services for its population and for ensuring the quality of that care.

Where NHS boards contract with the independent healthcare sector to provide NHS services these contracts need to specify the same quality standards that would apply in the NHS. This means that suitable governance arrangements need to be in place so that the Chair, Chief Executive and other board members have the necessary assurances in place to ensure that risks are identified and managed and planned outcomes are delivered.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is responsible for supporting, ensuring and monitoring the quality of healthcare provided or secured by the health services. They have the power to scrutinise any NHS service and this can be carried out in a number of ways including peer review, evaluation panels, clinical case review and the inspection model used by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate. Any planned inspection of NHS services undertaken by Healthcare Improvement Scotland must be in accordance with their Inspection Plan which they are required to agree with Scottish Ministers.

In addition, the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 requires Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Care Inspectorate to co-operate and co-ordinate their activities for the purpose of improving the exercise of their scrutiny functions. The current development work on the new Standards of Care for Dementia is a good example of how this collaborate approach could support service monitoring and improvement.

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.

The Care Inspectorate also has expedited powers, to apply to the sheriff (under s65 of the Public Sector Reform (Scotland) Act 2010) for cancellation of the registration of a care service (including care homes) on the basis that unless the order is made “there will be a serious risk to the life, health or wellbeing of persons”. The sheriff has the power to make an interim order, which may include an order suspending registration pending a full hearing.

If necessary, the Care Inspectorate can also impose an emergency condition of registration, which becomes effective immediately and remains in place until removed or successfully challenged on appeal.

Statistics on average or maximum length of time between the Care Inspectorate issuing an improvement notice and carrying out a follow-up inspection are not collected as each notice is unique to the service it is served on.

Each improvement has a time specified within the notice that should be a reasonable time to allow the improvement to be made. The Care Inspectorate inspects at the earliest date possible after the time period specified in the Improvement Notice has passed. There may be a number of inspections arising from an Improvement Notice and public reports made available following these. The Care inspectorate would expect an action plan in response to the Improvement Notice and this would be taken into account when planning any inspection to validate compliance.

The Care Inspectorate can also make application to the sheriff for cancellation of the registration of a care service on the basis that unless the order is made “there will be a serious risk to the life, health or wellbeing of persons”. The sheriff has the power to make an interim order, which may include an order suspending registration pending a full hearing. If necessary, the Care Inspectorate can also impose an emergency condition of registration, which becomes effective immediately and remains in place until removed or successfully challenged on appeal.

The Scottish Government is responsible for the development of national procurement policy and guidance in Scotland. NHS National Services Scotland’s National Procurement Division (NHS National Procurement) sits on the National Policy Forum providing input to the development of policy and guidance.

NHS National Procurement support the dissemination of that policy and guidance across NHS health boards.

NHS National Procurement provide advice and contract solutions to all NHSScotland organisations. NHS National Procurement has responsibility for identifying collaborative procurement opportunities across all NHS boards and works collaboratively with the Scottish Government in the development and roll out of cross public sector contracts to all NHS Scotland organisations.

Yes. The PVG scheme strikes a balance between proportionate protection and robust regulation and makes it easier for individual employers to determine who they might safely employ.

The Scottish Government will be providing £7.5 million for the Reducing Reoffending Change Fund over the current spending review period. This is in addition to resources for the support of community justice services provided by local authorities, and does not preclude supplementary funding by other sources. The Scottish Government is in the process of consulting stakeholders across Scotland on the Fund.

The Scottish Government will be providing £7.5 million for the Reducing Reoffending Change Fund over the current spending review period.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03873 on 15 November 2011. 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.

Day to day management of NHSScotland assets, including surplus assets, is delegated to NHS boards to undertake in line with mandatory requirements in the NHSScotland Property Transactions Handbook and guidance issued by Scottish Government.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03873 on 15 November 2011. 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.