Chamber and committees

It is for independently contracted practices to decide how best to communicate with their patients. There are no current plans to introduce a national text appointments service. Decisions at practice or NHS board level allow solutions to integrate with existing processes and systems, and to be responsive to local circumstances.

The Scottish Government outlined plans on 11 March 2016 to provide £2 million additional funding to improve or upgrade IT infrastructure in GP practices as part of a £20 million package for GPs to ease pressures on the workforce over the next year. This is in addition to the primary care digital services delivery fund, announced in June 2015, which is providing £6 million over three years to improve access to GP digital and online services, enhance GP systems, and encourage innovation and research in GP digital services.

The vast majority of Scotland’s health statistics are collected and published in accordance with the UK National Statistics Code of Practice. National Services Scotland (through Information Services Division) is the main producer of Scottish health statistics.

The UK statistics authority works in partnership with amongst others, the Scottish Government’s Chief Statistician and the Head of Profession at National Services Scotland, to ensure compliance against this code. The code emphasises key aspects of quality and the Scottish Government welcomes the assurance that this provides to all users of Scottish health statistics.

The statisticians and data experts involved in the collection, analysis and publication of health statistics work closely with users of their statistics. User feedback is welcomed and is important to the continuous improvement agenda that is key to the work of those producing Scotland’s health statistics.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information for independently contracted practices. It does expect patients to be offered an appointment with a member of GP practice staff within two days; the latest figures (Health and Care Experience Survey 2015-16) show that nearly 92% of people were able to get a consultation within that time.

The figures on the percentage of patients able to arrange an appointment with a member of GP practice staff within two days by board are given in the following table:

Figures broken down by GP practice are held at the following website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/GPPatientExperienceSurvey/HACE2015-16/LDP-GP

National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 already states that Scottish Ministers have a duty to secure improvement in the physical and mental health of the people of Scotland. It does not distinguish between the two, nor does it place a higher importance on one over the other. The 1978 Act also states Scottish Minsters have a duty to secure the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness, and for that purpose to provide or secure the effective provision of services in accordance with the provisions of the Act. Illness in the 1978 Act is defined as including mental disorder within the meaning of section 328 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

We will also consider how we further improve the physical health of people with mental health problems to address premature mortality as part of ten year vision for mental health in Scotland due for publication later in 2016.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the quality of care in Scotland and we meet regularly with COSLA, Scottish Care, Coalition of Care and support Providers in Scotland and other key stakeholders in order to do this.

As part of this partnership approach the Scottish Government is a member of the National Contingency Planning Group, which includes providers and is chaired by COSLA. The group works with stakeholders in identifying potential risks which could lead to the disruption of adult social care provision in Scotland.

We are also working with COSLA and care providers to deliver a major programme of reform to adult social care. These reforms will maintain the continuity, stability and sustainability of residential care provision while embedding greater local flexibility, maximising efficiency, improving quality, enhancing personalisation and promoting innovation.

Each Health and Social Care Partnership is required by the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 to put in place a strategic commissioning plan for the integrated functions and budgets that they control.

Before undertaking the strategic commissioning plan, partnerships are required to undertake a strategic needs assessment which considers: needs; population dynamics and projections; service activity; supply and demand; and gaps in provision. This informs their strategic commissioning plan and shapes services and support to deliver better outcomes. It will be for partnerships to determine the need for care home places in their localities and to work collaboratively with others, including providers, to meet that need.

In line with our vision, Scottish Government policies are enabling more people to live longer and more independently in their own homes, which results in fewer people needing residential care. We are providing more than £0.5 billion additional funding over three years to help Health and Social Care Partnerships establish new ways of working, and investing a further £250 million per year to protect and grow social care services.

The consultation document makes it very clear that the proposal relates to cleft surgery only. The consultation document can be accessed at: http://www.nsd.scot.nhs.uk/news/index.html

Clear and categoric assurances that, with the exception of surgery, all other cleft services will continue to be delivered locally have been given throughout this process in correspondence with campaigners and MSPs. These assurances have also been given to the National Specialist Services Committee and NHS board Chief Executives, during their consideration of the proposal. The decision whether to accept the proposal rests with Ministers. I will make my decision in due course.

NHS funded fertility preservation is currently offered to patients diagnosed with cancer on a case-by-case basis. This is for clinical reasons, and referring clinicians should take into account a patient's diagnosis, prognosis of cancer treatment and age.

A Scottish Government led working group is being set up to look at access and draw up protocols for fertility preservation for patients with serious medical conditions, prior to fertility compromising treatment or surgery.

The following table shows the number of laboratory confirmed diagnoses of borrelia infection each year but there will be cases which are not captured by surveillance. This is because current guidance states that if a patient presents to their healthcare professional with a history of a tick bite and erythema migrans (rash), antibiotic treatment should be recommended immediately. This treatment renders subsequent samples non-diagnostic and therefore not recorded by surveillance systems.