Chamber and committees

The information requested on ‘chronic pain services’ is not centrally available. National workforce data records the staff group, profession and specialty of staff in post. It does not capture the service(s) that an individual employee may contribute to.

The additional funding provided to Boards since 2017 was allocated on a criteria based assessment process, that ensured that funding was directed to initiatives that specifically addressed patients waiting the longest in specialties with the longest waits. Boards have been required to meet milestones and trajectories that demonstrate they are reducing numbers of patients waiting, and these milestones are reviewed on an ongoing basis.

The effectiveness of funding will be measured against and determined on the basis of performance achieved in relation to the reduction of patients waiting and the degree to which sustainable solutions have been put in place to reduce demand capacity gaps. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18635 on 8 October 2018 for information on the key specialties being funded in 2018-19. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Since 2016, it has been the responsibility of Integration Authorities to commission and plan specialist palliative and end of life care services and supports to meet the needs of their local population. Before 2016, this responsibility lay with Health Boards and Councils for health and social care services respectively.

Funding for specialist palliative and end of life care services is drawn from the overall funds allocated to Integration Authorities by the Scottish Government. As such, officials are unable to provide the information in the way Mr Briggs has requested.

The Scottish Government is working with the Chief Finance Officers and Chief Officers of Integration Authorities to improve clarity on financial reporting arrangements. A consolidated financial report is now provided on a quarterly basis to the Scottish Parliament's Health and Sport Committee and provides an overview of the finances of the Integration Authorities.

The Scottish Government recognises that effective workforce planning is essential in order for NHS Boards and Integration Authorities to provide safe and high quality patient care. That is why we have published a National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan covering the NHS, Social Care and Primary Care. The Plan includes a number of recommendations that will bring about improvements in workforce planning.

The Scottish Government sets strategic policy for NHSScotland. The responsibility to deliver safe and sustainable services rests locally with Health Boards.

The Health Care Needs Assessment of Adult Chronic Pain Service in Scotland report was commissioned by the Scottish Public Health Network. Appendix 5 of the report contains information provided to the Network by NHS Boards, rather than centrally-held ISD data.

ISD Scotland publish national workforce data containing the staff group, profession and specialty of staff in post. The data does not capture the service(s) that an individual employee may contribute to. ISD’s latest workforce data is available at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/health-topics/Workforce/publications/2018-09-04/visualisation.asp .

Student nurses, midwives and allied health professionals who may be exposed to the flu during placements within NHS Boards should receive the flu vaccination in line with all other NHS healthcare workers.

A joint letter is issued each year from the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer to the NHS setting out the arrangements for flu season. This highlights the importance of the flu vaccination being offered by employers for staff or other individuals who may be at risk of occupational exposure.

The Health Care Needs Assessment of Adult Chronic Pain Service in Scotland report was commissioned by the Scottish Public Health Network (SPHN). This report’s methodology is a matter for SPHN, who can be contacted by using the following link: https://www.scotphn.net/contact-us/ .

Vaccination policy in Scotland, as with the rest of the UK, is based on recommendations from the JCVI. The JCVI is an independent, expert group which provides advice on all aspects of vaccination to the four UK health departments.

For the 2018-19 flu season, the JCVI recommended an adjuvanted trivalent (aTIV) flu vaccine for those aged 65 years and over. They agreed that the use of this vaccine should be a priority for people aged 75 and over as the evidence shows this group are the most at risk of the complications of flu. Those aged 65 to 74 years are offered trivalent flu vaccine which still provides protection against flu.

Evidence regarding the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in those aged 65 years and older in the United Kingdom can be found in the Eurosurveillance report using the following link:

https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.39.1800092

Through the previous £5 million recruitment and retention fund 39 new GPs were recruited. We’ve increased the GP recruitment and retention fund in 2018-19 to £7.5 million to fund a range of initiatives to encourage GPs to remain in or to return to the profession. This includes GP training bursaries to incentivise a career in general practice. These initiatives are part of a wider package of measures that will, over the next decade, increase the number of GPs working in Scotland by at least 800. We will continue to monitor progress in delivering on this commitment.

On behalf of the National Advisory Committee for Chronic Pain (NACCP), the Deputy Chief Medical Officer commissioned Scottish NHS Boards to provide information about the quantity of different healthcare professionals working within specialist pain services across Scotland, as well as qualitative information about recruitment/ retention challenges and succession planning for this workforce group.

The information is still being collated and assessed, in accordance with the data protection laws, to consider whether the data is identifiable to individuals and should be treated as personal data. This will determine what information can be shared with the NACCP in the first instance, who in turn will advise what findings should be published, alongside minutes of its meeting, on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Services/Chronic-Pain/NACCP/NACP-Minutes .