Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has noted the results of this study. Current advice on vitamin D is based on recommendations by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). As part of their recent review on vitamin D, SACN concluded that there was insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions on the impact of low vitamin D levels for non-musculoskeletal health outcomes, including acute respiratory tract infections.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to support additional research on the impact of vitamin D supplementation on acute respiratory tract infections at this time. A number of other organisations fund research and we will continue to monitor further research that emerges on vitamin D.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with businesses across Scotland, including from the Lothians.

Businesses in Lothian will benefit from a range of Scottish Government rate policies, including the decision to match the English poundage rate and cut the current rate by 3.7%; increasing the threshold at which the large business supplement becomes payable; expanding the small business bonus scheme threshold for 100% relief from £10,000 to £15,000 and capping the bill rises for hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafes at 12.5% this year.

Where businesses disagree with the independent Assessors determination of the rateable value of their premises an independent appeal system exists for them to challenge this.

The Scottish Molecular Pathology Evaluation Panel provided an advice note in Oncotype DX in January 2016 which states that, “should a clinician consider that the molecular pathology test would assist in a decision on case management for a patient within the indication specified then the test should be undertaken”.

NHS Boards are responsible for providing services to meet the assessed needs of their resident populations taking into account relevant frameworks and guidance and within their annual allocations.

It is for NHS Boards to plan and deliver clinical services and ensure that they have appropriate staff in place to meet the needs of their services and ensure high quality patient care. As part of this, we expect NHS Boards to have robust workforce plans and recruitment and retention policies in place which take account of district nursing vacancies and retirements.

To make sure our NHS has the right skills mix, we will introduce national and regional workforce planning. On 1 February 2017 we launched the National Health and Social Care Workforce Planning Discussion Document. We are inviting responses to this consultation by 28 March 2017. The Discussion Document will inform the National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan, which will be published in Spring 2017. The consultation is available at the following link:-

https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/health-workforce/national-health-and-social-care-workforce-plan/

In recognition of the flexibilities that differing retirement ages will bring, the NHSScotland Working Longer Group has been working on a number of tools and products which will help employers in Scotland profile their workforce by age at all levels and embed discussions about retirement plans within the yearly appraisal process.

In addition the Scottish Government will increase student nursing and midwifery intakes for 2017-18 by 4.7%, the fifth successive rise, bringing us a step closer to delivering our commitment to create 1,000 extra nursing and midwifery training places over the course of this Parliament. The increase is part of an overall package of measures to support and strengthen our nursing and midwifery workforce.

This information is not held centrally.

Information on the number of Psychiatrists employed by NHSScotland Health Boards in each year since 2003 is published by ISD Scotland and can be found at the following link:

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2016-12-06/Medical_Trend_S2016.xls

ISD also publish “Psychology Services Workforce in NHSScotland: Workforce Information” which can be found here (last updated 31 March 2016):

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2016-06-07/2016-06-07-Psychology-Workforce-Tables.xls

Work is underway to plan for implementation of the recommendations in The Best Start. We will take this planning work forward in partnership with boards, including the Scottish Ambulance Service to develop a comprehensive understanding of the resource implications of the recommendations.

The Scottish Ambulance Service, through funding from the Scottish Government and NHS boards, deliver the ScotSTAR (Scottish Specialist Transport and Retrieval) Service. The service undertakes all neonatal transfers providing a safe and dedicated transport service for a group who, because of their clinical condition, may require an augmented clinical team during transport.

The Scottish Government expects NHS boards to have well-structured transition arrangements in place, which meet the needs of their local population, regardless of where in Scotland the young person lives.

The national policy regarding age appropriate hospital care for children and young people was outlined in Better Health, Better Care: Hospital Services for Young People in Scotland published on 5 May 2009. The national policy considered the importance that transfer from paediatric to adult services should be the culmination of a period of planned transition care and emphasises the need for good transition arrangements for young people moving into the adult care sector across all specialities.

The Scottish Government has supported and funded Crohn’s and Colitis UK in the production of “Scotland Leading the Way - a National Blueprint for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Scotland”, which seeks support NHS Boards in improving care and treatment for all people living with inflammatory bowel disease in Scotland.

The Blueprint further reinforces the need makes a number of recommendations specific to this area. A number of trials have taken place across Scotland including virtual and telephone clinics, the trial has meant that patients can avoid long journeys to physical clinics, also ensuring the necessary care could be provided in the appropriate timescale to support the patient.

It is for NHS boards to plan and deliver clinical services and ensure that they have the correct staff in place to meet the needs of their services and ensure high quality patient care. As part of this we expect them to have robust workforce plans and recruitment and retention policies in place which take account of health visitor vacancies and retirements.

In addition the Scottish Government has committed to delivering an additional 500 Health Visitors by 2018, and we have invested £3.3 million since 2014 to support additional training.

The National Clinical Strategy is the Scottish Government’s blueprint for health and social care over the next 15 years. It’s one of the key drivers that will help deliver transformational change across our NHS.

Its foundation is to provide care as locally as possible through a whole-team, community-based approach which is vital to the future of the NHS, allowing people to continue to be treated close to home, or in their home, in the majority of cases.

The National Clinical Strategy sets out why the NHS in Scotland needs to adapt in the face of increasing and changing demand, along with significant constraints in terms of workforce and finances. The National Clinical Strategy sits alongside the Health and Social Care Integration and GIRFEC to ensure that there is a comprehensive approach to both improving the health of the population, and the healthcare available.

The Scottish Government has supported and funded Crohn’s and Colitis UK in the production of “Scotland Leading the Way - a National Blueprint for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Scotland”, which seeks support NHS Boards in improving care and treatment for all people living with inflammatory bowel disease in Scotland.