Chamber and committees

Currently, only individual general dental practitioners can be listed with NHS boards in order to provide NHS general dental services (GDS) and be eligible for financial support in their own right. Dentists employed by dental bodies corporate can apply individually to join NHS board dental lists in order to provide GDS in an area but the body corporate itself cannot currently join the list. Provisions in the Smoking, Health and Social Care Act 2005 that have yet to be commenced would enable dental bodies corporate also to be listed with NHS boards for the provision of general dental services and therefore access financial support in their own right.

No. The Dentists Act 1984 already restricts the business of dentistry to dentists and dental bodies corporate and, at present, only individual general dental practitioners can be listed with NHS boards to provide NHS general dental services. Provisions in the Smoking, Health and Social Care Act 2005 that have yet to be commenced would enable dental bodies corporate also to be listed with NHS boards for the provision of general dental services.

The Dentists Act 1984 restricts the business of dentistry to dentists and dental bodies corporate so the question does not arise in relation to commercial companies in general. The position of dental bodies corporate in particular is set out in my answer to S3W-16357 on 30 September 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.

We are working closely with COSLA to promote a community care outcomes framework which offers a carefully designed suite of 16 measures which community care partnerships can use to evidence the improvement of outcomes for people who use community care services and their carers.

We are also committed to improving choice and control for individuals who wish to access self directed support to meet their assessed personal, social and health care needs.

National care standards set out the quality of care for the range of care services available to people in need of such support.

Our short breaks guidance is intended to support the development of personalised and preventative short breaks and will support local planning of respite care. The final version of this guidance will be published soon. To further support carers, we are providing £9 million over the next three years to help implement NHS carer information strategies.

We also have measures in place to support young carers. This includes the development of a self-evaluation guide for young carers services to ensure the best possible support is available for this group. We will be setting out our priorities in a new carers'' strategy next year.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland are preparing clinical standards for neurological services. Once these have been published, NHS boards will be expected to provide services in line with the standards.

Inspection of registered care services is an operational matter for the Care Commission within the requirements of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001. The information requested is not held centrally.

Section 25 of the act, as amended by the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 (Minimum Frequency of Inspections) Order 2007 sets out the minimum frequencies at which the Care Commission must inspect care services. The minimum frequency of inspections varies depending on the type of care service.

You can contact the chief executive of the commission at the following address:

Ms Jacquie Roberts

Chief Executive

Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care

Compass House

11 Riverside Drive

Dundee

DD1 4NY

E-mail: [email protected].

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16139 on 23 September 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.

NHS boards are responsible for the provision of services for those of their resident populations living with a neurological condition.

Better Health, Better Care indicates the priority which we give to the development of Managed Clinical Networks for neurological conditions.

There are SIGN Guidelines on certain neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, and others are in development. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland is currently developing clinical standards for neurological conditions.

As part of the work on our 18 week referral to treatment target, a task and finish group has been set up to look at neurological services.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16139 on 23 September 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.