Chamber and committees

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

Since the implementation of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, the SPS has sought to put in place independent advocacy services for those who require it. SPS is developing a service that meets the needs of mentally disordered offenders in respect of independent advocacy and it is moving now to address the needs of other groups with special requirements, such as people with learning disability and difficulty. We have been working with a range of partner agencies and organisations to provide advocacy services.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

The report Out of Sight: Severe and Enduring Mental Health Problems is Scotland''s Prisons is welcomed by the Scottish Prison Service. It is seen as a fair reflection of the current arrangements for managing prisoners suffering from severe and enduring mental health problems and the challenges posed by this group of prisoners.

The SPS has accepted 19 out of the 20 recommendations and is currently developing its formal action plan for implementation. The SPS response to the recommendations is posted on the SPS website and can be accessed at the following web address http://www.sps.gov.uk/default.aspx?documentid=625ef22e-8426-42a5-97a0-e8c6369b2423.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

Appropriate arrangements, including monitoring, are in place to ensure that prisoners requiring transfer to hospital for assessment or treatment of a mental illness do so promptly.

Such transfers are managed under Section 52 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 for unsentenced prisoners, and Section 136 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 for sentenced prisoners.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) works closely with a range of partners to ensure effective support of all offenders being released including those with several enduring mental illness.

The SPS published a response to the recent thematic inspection of care for people with mental health problems by HMCIP, the report can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/244161/0068214.pdf.

There are currently no plans to copy GP referral letters and letters to GPs from consultants or other specialist staff. Patients can exercise their rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 and request copies of correspondence about them.

The Scottish Government is broadly supportive of proposals to introduce an independent and transparent process for reviewing and establishing new Quality and Outcomes Framework indicators. Much of the detail of the new process remains to be worked through, including how to best reflect Scottish health needs and priorities within the UK framework, but it is our intention that NHS Quality Improvement Scotland should play a role in the revised independent process.

Compliance with the Working Time Regulations (WTR) is the responsibility of NHS boards as employers. The Scottish Government aims to help the NHS to achieve compliance and continues to issue guidance, disseminate information on good practice and hold WTR seminars to help boards plan rotas and design services in order to achieve compliance.

Last year all NHS Scotland boards were asked to share their plans for ensuring that their junior doctors reach compliance with the Scottish Government, and our WTR Advisers subsequently met with all boards to discuss their plans. Good progress is being made towards the target with significant redesign and investment in service modernisation already undertaken. New and expanded roles have been developed and out of hour care significantly re-modelled as the hospital at night approach has been introduced.

I am aware that there are some boards for whom the target will be hard to achieve because of their remote and rural location and also some specialities such as neurosurgery which are likely to be challenging and may require national solutions.

I am receiving regular updates on the position and will consider what further options and developments can be introduced which will continue to assist the boards in achieving and maintaining compliance at and beyond August 2009.

The information requested has been provided by NHS Education for Scotland (NES):

Foundation Doctors - Breakdown by NHS Board

NHS Board	FY1	FY2	Total %, by Deanery, who Have Contract in Two or More Boards in Two years
West Deanery
Ayrshire and Arran	38	46
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	231	229
Lanarkshire	61	67
Dumfries and Galloway	18	18
Forth Valley	42	30
			87%
North Deanery
Grampian	102	30
Highland	30	34
Shetland	1	2
Western Isles	2	4
			78%
South East Deanery
Lothian	134	156
Borders	15	8
Fife	37	22
			48%
East Deanery
Tayside	93	93	None - all employed by Tayside throughout their training

 

Junior doctors hold a training agreement with NES for their seven or eight year training programme, but because they work in different Boards during training, they are employed on a series of short-term employment contracts by each of the boards they work for during the training period.

Foundation Year doctors are employed on four month contracts, LATs/FTSTAs and STs on one year contracts. SPRs are variable but longer than one year.

The following figures have been provided by NHS Education for Scotland (NES):

Board	FY1	FY2	FTSTA	LAT	SpR	StR	Total
Ayrshire and Arran	38	46	15	14	16	103	232
Borders	15	8	4	0	7	39	73
Common Services Agency	Nil	Nil	0	0	2	0	2
Dumfries and Galloway	18	18	8	7	0	42	93
Fife	37	22	19	0	26	98	202
Forth Valley	42	30	15	13	13	72	185
Grampian	102	30	22	11	159	218	542
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	231	229	125	74	389	700	1748
Highland	30	34	4	0	18	70	156
Lanarkshire	61	67	43	20	24	161	376
Lothian	134	156	68	5	299	335	997
NHS Education for Scotland	Nil	Nil	1	0	0	375	376
Orkney	Nil	Nil	0	0	0	5	5
Shetland	1	2	0	0	0	7	10
Tayside	93	93	17	30	153	230	616
Western Isles	2	4	1	0	0	3	10
Total	804	739	342	174	1106	2458	5623

 

The majority of these doctors will hold short term employment contracts. STRs have a training agreement for a longer term which is fulfilled by a series of shorter term contracts.

Junior doctors hold a training agreement with NES (NHS Education for Scotland) for their seven or eight year training programme, but because they work in different boards during training, they are employed on a series of short-term employment contracts by each of the boards they work for during the training period.

Foundation Year doctors are employed on four month contracts, LATs/FTSTAs and STs on one year contracts. SPRs are variable but longer than one year.

The following figures have been provided by NHS Education for Scotland (NES):

Boards	FY1	FY2	FTSTA	LAT	SpR	StR	Total
Ayrshire and Arran	38	46	15	14	16	103	232
Borders	15	8	4	0	7	39	73
Common Services Agency	Nil	Nil	0	0	2	0	2
Dumfries and Galloway	18	18	8	7	0	42	93
Fife	37	22	19	0	26	98	202
Forth Valley	42	30	15	13	13	72	185
Grampian	102	30	22	11	159	218	542
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	231	229	125	74	389	700	1,748
Highland	30	34	4	0	18	70	156
Lanarkshire	61	67	43	20	24	161	376
Lothian	134	156	68	5	299	335	997
NHS Education for Scotland	Nil	Nil	1	0	0	375	376
Orkney	Nil	Nil	0	0	0	5	5
Shetland	1	2	0	0	0	7	10
Tayside	93	93	17	30	153	230	616
Western Isles	2	4	1	0	0	3	10
Total	804	739	342	174	1,106	2,458	5,623

 

The majority of these doctors will hold short-term employment contracts. STRs have a training agreement for a longer term which is fulfilled by a series of shorter term contracts.