Chamber and committees

The National Implementation and Advisory Group (NIAG) for the Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative Care (SFA) has met once since the publication of the Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care was published in December 2015. Sub-groups of the NIAG have continued to meet throughout the year to progress the SFA.

The group was scheduled to meet on 26 September 2016, but due to the number of apologies received this meeting was postponed until 14 December 2016.

The trade in shark products is not illegal, however the importing of products of animal origin into the UK is subject to certain international controls (https://www.gov.uk/animal-products-import-and-export and, in the case of individuals, personal allowances (https://www.gov.uk/personal-food-plant-and-animal-product-imports.

Since 2009 the Scottish Government has banned the removal of shark fins at sea without exemption. The practice of shark finning is extremely wasteful and without the full carcass it is difficult to identify the species the fins have come from increasing the risk of endangered or prohibited species being targeted. Following lobbying from Member States, including the Scottish Government, the EU agreed in 2013 to cease issuing shark finning exemptions known as Special Fishing Permits.

In 2012, the Scottish Government extended protection for a number of shark, skate and ray species to prevent landing a number of species by recreational sea anglers also. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2012/63/made.

In 2015, the year before integration went live, the Scottish Government published statutory guidance on strategic commissioning setting out that each Partnership's strategic commissioning plan should be based upon a Strategic Needs Assessment of local people, including those with palliative and end of life care needs.

The strategic commissioning plan sets out how Partnerships will plan and deliver services for their area over the medium term, using the integrated budgets under their control. This includes palliative and end of life care services.

Within this wider context NHS boards remain responsible for the procurement of palliative and end of life services, including those provided by Hospices. Therefore the procurement arrangements set out CEL 12 (2012), remain relevant and applicable. There are therefore no plans to update and/or reissue the Chief Executive Letter, CEL 12 (2012).

This information is not centrally held in the form requested.

Information on NHS board expenditure is published by NHS Information Services Division (ISD) on an annual basis in the Scottish Health Service Costs Report (often referred to as the ‘Cost Book’). Expenditure on treatments provided by third sector organisations over the past five years broken down by NHS board is set out in the following table.

This information only relates to treatment and may not reflect the full spectrum of support and care that voluntary organisations provide to NHS boards.

Expenditure for treatments provided by Voluntary Organisations (£000)¹: 2010-11-2014-15

1. Expenditure for treatments provided by Voluntary Organisations as recorded in Costs Book (SFR 24.0, Line Number 471).

The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. The issue raised is a matter for Health Boards, which are required to ensure best value in the use of public funds in line with the guidance set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

ALISS is available online at www.aliss.org so is accessible by all GPs. The service includes sources of support in the community across the full range of health and care services not just for mental health.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-04425 on 16 November 2016. 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 information as requested is not readily available.

As at September 2015 (the most recent figures available), there were 262.2 Whole Time Equivalent health board primary care pharmacist posts in NHS Scotland. These posts include a range of support activities for GP practices from prescribing support to undertaking clinics, and treating patients with common uncomplicated conditions. The following table shows a breakdown of the number of these posts by NHS board.

In addition, the Scottish Government has allocated £16.2 million to NHS Boards over three years through our programme of transformational change in primary care, to take forward our commitment to recruiting up to 140 pharmacists with advanced clinical skills to GP practices. The commitment as set out in the Programme for Government, is that all GP practices will have access to a pharmacist with these skills by the end of this Parliament.

This information is not readily available from the NHS Scotland prescribing information system.

The Scottish Government has not directly commissioned or undertaken an assessment of the Minor Ailment Service (MAS). However, studies have been conducted by other bodies and in particular the MINA Study undertaken by the University of Aberdeen in collaboration with NHS Grampian and the University of East Anglia, published in January 2014. The final report is available at:- http://www.pharmacyresearchuk.org/waterway/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/MINA-Study-Final-Report.pdf

The planned extended MAS pilot in Inverclyde will help to further expand the existing evidence base for MAS and inform the future design of the service.

The pilot, will involve the current MAS being extended to all patients registered with a GP practice in the Inverclyde area and augmented to include treatments for the most common, uncomplicated conditions normally requiring a GP prescription.

The pilot is scheduled to commence from January 2017.