Chamber and committees

I am advised by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland that it''s predecessor body, the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland, visited NHS Argyll and Clyde in 2004-05 as part of the Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) standards peer review programme. The methodology used at that time meant that the board carried out a local self-assessment at board level rather than individual hospital site level. The external peer review team then assessed performance by considering the board''s self-assessment data and visited the board to validate and discuss the data provided.

Revised and updated HAI standards were published in March 2008 and NHS boards are now carrying out local self assessments against them.

No. The Rapid Review Panel assesses equipment, materials and other products that may be of value to the NHS as a whole, including NHS Scotland.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have been given a formula capital allocation of £97.417 million in 2008-09 and notified of indicative capital allocations of £98.92 million and £100.423 million in 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively. Future years capital allocations will be determined by the outcome of the next Spending Review.

There are different types of public inquiry, but under the Inquiries Act 2005 a Minister (including the Scottish Ministers) may cause an inquiry to be held where it appears that (a) particular events have caused, or are capable of causing, public concern, or (b) there is public concern that particular events may have occurred.

Ministers therefore have the power to instigate inquiries themselves, rather than simply calling for them to be held. The Scottish Ministers can do so if the subject-matter is concerned wholly or primarily with a matter that relates to Scotland and is not a reserved matter within the meaning of the Scotland Act 1998.

The report of the independent external clinical review of anaesthetic services at the Vale of Leven Hospital was published on Friday 15 August.

A copy of the report is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0064627.pdf.

Scottish Power advises that its meter replacement programme is progressing with 81% of prepayment customers in Scotland now having key meters which can be re-calibrated remotely meaning that the issue of back-charging does not arise. The programme is due to be completed by September 2009.

Scottish Power assures me that they make every effort to gain access to homes to recalibrate meters and if they are not satisfied that proper procedures for meter reading and timeous re-calibration of meters has been carried out they will waive back-charges.

I await the findings of Ofgem''s probe into the energy supply market which is expected in September. The probe is intended to make sure that the market is working well for all customers, including those on pre-payment meters.

I am advised by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that one of the two patients who died in June 2008 tested positive for clostridium difficile on 29 April 2008. The second patient was confirmed clostridium difficile positive on 12 June 2008 and died the next day.

It is not possible to provide the breakdown sought for (i) and (ii) as both the Scottish Government and NHS boards invest in a range of measures to tackle all Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI). For example, the Scottish Government invested over £5 million last financial year (2007-2008) in the measures and policies identified in the previous HAI Task Force Delivery Plan (2005-2008). This included funding to support HAI related posts in each NHS board and resources to support our national Hand Hygiene Campaign and the publication of key HAI guidance documents for NHS boards. Within that funding, each NHS board also shared in £1.2 million to support the bids they made for individual HAI related Implementation and Development projects.

The Scottish Government is investing £54 million over the next three years (2008-2011) on an extensive and wide-ranging set of measures to prevent and control all HAIs across NHS Scotland, including a new national MRSA Screening Programme from 2009-2010. NHS boards and our multi agency stakeholders on the HAI Task Force will play a key role in taking forward the comprehensive programme of work in our three year HAI Delivery Plan which came into being on 1 April 2008.

On part (iii) of the member’s Question, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde advise that it is not possible to provide a breakdown of spending on these specific infections at the Vale of Leven Hospital as, in line with all NHS boards, funds are earmarked for infection prevention control and management generally, thus supporting the key message that infection prevention and control is everyone’s business.

I am advised by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that £1.1million of capital-related investment was made in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.

I refer the member to the answer to questions S3W-14368 and S3W-14685 on 14 July and 23 July 2008 respectively. 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/webapp/wa.search.

Since May 2007, 18 full ward terminal cleans have been carried out in a variety of wards at the Vale of Leven Hospital. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde advise that it is not possible to state when the first terminal clean was carried out at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14339 on 15 July 2008. 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/webapp/wa.search.