Chamber and committees

CalMac will engage with its staff as appropriate throughout the bid submission process. This is already underway through established internal communications channels.

Transport Scotland has had previous engagement on ferries matters with the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the relevant trades unions, representing the employees of David MacBrayne Limited, and would expect that engagement to continue in future.

The Scottish Government has not yet consulted with them on the future tendering of the next Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract, but intend to do so in due course.

In Scotland highly specialised health services are commissioned through the National Services Division of NHS National Services Scotland.

Funds are top sliced from NHS boards to provide a fund for the procurement of the highly specialised services needed by residents of Scotland from hospitals in Scotland, England and in very rare cases, abroad.

There will be no impact on the budget of NHS National Specialist Services and Screening Division following independence.

After independence Scotland will maintain a very strong relationship with the other countries of the UK. Scotland will continue to work with other parts of the UK to provide services where this provides access to the highest quality of care and delivers the best outcomes. There are already effective cross-border working arrangements in place which will provide a strong foundation for continued cooperation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21247 on 29 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s web site, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Implementation of the major trauma quality framework will help NHSScotland (including NHS Lothian), to ensure definitive trauma care is provided across Scotland and importantly, better outcomes for people who experience major trauma.

Expenditure on consultancy is published on the David MacBrayne Ltd website in accordance with the requirements of the Public Sector Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.

http://www.david-macbrayne.co.uk/reports/

Any further breakdown of this information is considered commercially sensitive.

NHS boards are currently scoping the work required to enhance major trauma services across Scotland, including the resource implications.

The National Planning Forum and board of Chief Executives will identify any additional resources required as part of this work, and will keep Scottish Ministers appraised of their plans to ensure that the major trauma quality framework is implemented.

The Scottish Government established the short life working group in December 2013.

Membership of the short life working group includes:

Four Scottish Government staff, three clinical staff and one providing secretariat support;

Two patient representatives;

Five NHS clinical and research staff;

One NHS healthcare planner (member selected by NHSScotland); and

Two other patient representatives who have been consulted separately regarding the patient information and consent leaflet (selected by the clinical staff on the Group).

Except where noted, members were selected by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Frances Elliot.

Any individual with concerns about their health should, in the first instance, see their GP. There is a wide range of information and advice available on health and wellbeing from GP practices, community pharmacies and from websites such as NHS Inform and Take Life On.

These costs are driven by activity which is not possible to forecast.

There has been no specific funding made available to NHS boards to fund the removal of surgical mesh implants for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. It is for individual boards to carry out this type of surgery from within existing budgets.