Chamber and committees

As part of the negotiations for the new Scottish GP contract we will be engaging with the General Medical Council. These contract negotiations must remain confidential between the negotiating parties, however recruitment and retention are key issues for discussion during the negotiations and revalidation will form part of these discussions. We will continue to work with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee to redesign the contract and will have this in place by April 2017.

The GP contract is formulated through a process of bilateral discussion, and agreement, between the Scottish General Practitioners Committee and the Scottish Government. As part of the wider transformation of primary care the Scottish Government is inviting everyone to have their say on what a healthier Scotland should look like in the next 10 to 15 years and the steps that could be taken to make this vision a reality.

From August 2015 to spring 2016 the Scottish Government is holding a national conversation on improving the health of the population and the future of health and social care services in Scotland. What issues really matter to the people of Scotland to help then live well in future and what support do we need in Scotland to live healthier lives. This is providing an opportunity for constructive conversations around health and wellbeing which will form part of the dialogue on the future of health and social care in Scotland, with a clear focus on the need for new models of primary care.

As part of its strategic approach towards achieving a high performing and sustainable NHSScotland, the Scottish Government is exploring a range of options to increase the medical workforce supply to meet the future needs of patients.

Indemnity insurance is one of a range of issues that will be considered in the context of negotiating the new GP contract of 2017. These negotiations are on-going and their content must remain confidential between the negotiating parties, however we will continue to work with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee so that a new contract is in place by April 2017.

NHS continuing healthcare has never been subject to a specific funding stream, and no funding has ceased as a consequence of our publication of new guidance. Scotland and England have always had different eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare. We simplified the system in Scotland with the guidance on Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care. Patients receiving support under English NHS continuing healthcare eligibility, and for whom the host authority agrees a move to Scotland, will have their care costs met by the NHS in England.

Over the next three years the Scottish Government will invest £50 million, as part of the Primary Care Fund, to address immediate workload and recruitments issues in primary care and put in place long-term, sustainable change to support GPs and improve access to services for patients.

As part of this, £2.5 million will be invested in work to explore with key stakeholders the issues surrounding GP recruitment and retention which can be particularly challenging in certain areas of the country. Additionally, the Scottish Government will continue its support for NHS Education for Scotland's Enhanced Returners Programme that was introduced in 2015-16.

The number of GPs working in Scotland has already increased under this administration’s term in office and the First Minister announced on 27 October 2015 that the number of training places for GPs will increase from 300 to 400 a year from next year, contributing towards a more sustainable future GP workforce by 2019.

NHS continuing healthcare has never been subject to a specific funding stream, and no funding has ceased as a consequence of our publication of new guidance. At the latest census (March 2015) there were 1,545 people in receipt of NHS continuing healthcare. 1,187 were in hospital and are unaffected by the publication of the revised guidance. The cost for the remaining 358 will continue to be borne by the NHS as long as they remain eligible under CEL 6 2008 criteria. There will be no cost for these individuals' care to the local authority or the individual. The estimated cost to the NHS will be around £11.17 million per year.

NHS continuing healthcare has never been subject to a specific funding stream, and no funding has ceased as a consequence of our publication of new guidance. Patients did not "apply" for funding or support under previous arrangements – their needs were assessed according to guidance that has now been revised, and which applies to packages of care provided and solely funded by the NHS. Anyone assessed as eligible for NHS continuing healthcare under CEL 6 (2008), i.e. the criteria applied prior to 1 June 2015 will continue to receive this as long as they remain eligible as per CEL 6 (2008).

The independent review panel discussed NHS continuing healthcare with a range of stakeholders. The Scottish Government then discussed the recommendations and revised guidance with stakeholder representation, and held two engagement events in conjunction with the Health and Social Care Alliance.

The expert group on transvaginal mesh implants will work directly with medical directors to develop recording and reporting of adverse events and in addition will take account of the Scottish Government's work to consider alternative methods for the capture of adverse events.

Work on adverse event reporting has already been taken forward and, in collaboration with NHS boards, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) has led in the development of the national approach to learning from adverse events. HIS is continuing to develop the national framework and is driving implementation through an improvement programme, which is supporting NHS boards and other organisations, to have a consistent approach to managing and learning from adverse events.

COSLA supported the new guidance on Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care. Eligibility will remain a clinical decision with associated funding being the responsibility of new Integration Joint Boards. Taking funding decisions across health and social care, to improve outcomes by using the totality of available resources, is one of our key drivers for integration.