Chamber and committees

It was announced on 14 June 2016 that Scotland’s first Graduate Entry Medical Programme (Scotgem) would have an element of bonding. The Scotgem Programme will commence in autumn 2018 and will have capacity for approximately 40 students. Details of the proposed bonding scheme are currently subject to analysis and informal consultation. It is envisaged that headline details of the proposed scheme will be available by spring this year and well in advance of commencement of Scotgem in 2018.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the success of the integration of health and social care, as required under the Public Bodies (Joint Working) Scotland Act 2014, and is working with Integration Joint Boards, Health Boards and Local Authorities to monitor the effectiveness of all aspects of implementation, including budgetary arrangements, in local systems. Changes to Integration Joint Boards’ current funding arrangements to permit direct allocations from the Scottish Government, rather than allocations via Health Boards and Local Authorities, would require legislative change along with careful consideration of the implications of the VAT Act (1994), and development of equitable allocation methods given local variation in integrated services. The Scottish Government will continue to keep the position under review and will give further consideration to the potential opportunities and implications of making any changes.

Each year the Scottish Government publishes the Annual State of NHSScotland Assets and Facilities Report which provides details on the condition of the NHS Estate. The 2015 report can be accessed at http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00503969.pdf and we intend to publish the 2016 report in the Spring of 2017.

The Scottish Government are currently working with National Services Scotland Practitioner Services Division to develop an ophthalmic data warehouse which will be available from Spring 2017. This warehouse will allow us to gather more detailed data on eye care as we continue to improve services in Scotland through our Review of community eyecare services and our wider transformation of primary care.

This information is not held centrally by Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to lower the age for breast cancer screening in Scotland.

Over the next few years, Public Health England (PHE) will be carrying out a randomised controlled trial in the English Breast Screening Programme screening women from the age of 47 and up to 73 years with some screening centres screening the younger and some the older age group. The purpose is to provide evidence of the effectiveness (or otherwise) of breast screening in the under 50s and over 70s.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) will consider any evidence from this trial. The Scottish Government would then take any advice or recommendations stemming from the UK NSC to the Scottish Screening Committee for consideration.

NHS Territorial Boards make limited use of the independent and private sector for health care services, with the amount incurred in 2015-16 comprising 0.7% of total resource spending. Boards report this spending in their annual accounts as private sector spending. The Scottish Government holds figures for each Board between 2006-07 and 2015-16. These are set out in the following table:

The Scottish Government has no plans to provide women who have a history of breast cancer in the family the opportunity to self refer to the breast screening programme. However, a GP can refer such women on to genetics/family history service but this service is not part of the national screening programme. These women would still be invited for screening as part of the breast screening programme once every three years if they are in the eligible age range of 50-70 and have not been screened within the previous six months.

In Scotland there are guidelines for the referral of women with a familial risk of breast cancer and this is the most effective, direct route for assessment and management of these women. Guidance for referral to regional genetics centres for those with a family history of breast cancer is available at http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/cancer_care_improvement/programme_resources/familial_breast_cancer_report.aspx

Details of the condition of the NHS Estate can be found in the Annual State of NHSScotland Assets and Facilities Report which can be accessed at http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00503969.pdf.

In Scotland, Patient Access Schemes offering discounts by companies to list prices of medicines are considered by the Patient Access Scheme Advisory Group (PASAG) and are commercial-in-confidence. Therefore this information is not held centrally.