Patient safety incidents can be generated from feedback from other parts of the healthcare system, patient feedback, complaint investigations or from staff completing adverse incident forms. NHS 24 has provided the following table which sets out the numbers of reported incidents in each year.

Reporting Year	Reported Incidents
2007-08	39
2008-09	43
2009-10	45
2010-11	46
2011-12	28
2012-13	21
2013-14	16

The Scottish Government values the independent advice of the NHS pay review body. We will take a view at the appropriate time as to whether to continue to access advice from the current body, or whether a Scottish specific body would best serve the needs of Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20038, on 13 March 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/39875.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20023, on 13 March 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/39875.aspx.

The role of Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) is to further improvement in the quality of healthcare provided by NHSScotland and independent healthcare services. They support healthcare providers to deliver high quality, evidence-based, safe, effective and person-centred care; and to scrutinise those services to provide public assurance about the quality and safety of that care.

HIS also carries out a programme of inspections to provide assurance that the care of older people in acute hospitals is of a high standard. HIS are also responsible for the inspection and regulation of all independent healthcare services in Scotland.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is independent from the NHS boards and independent healthcare services which it inspects.

No action has been taken to amend the official report in respect of the comments made by me on 17 December 2013.

<>On page 572 of Scotland’s Future: your guide to an independent Scotland (available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/9348) the Scottish Government states: ‘The current Scottish Government proposes that, from the date of independence, the Scottish Parliament will keep its current single chamber structure. This is similar to other comparable states which also have single chamber parliaments, such as New Zealand, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.’

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20061 on 18 March 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

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

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20061 on 18 March 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

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

Audit Scotland provides the Auditor General and the Accounts Commission with the services they need to check that public money is spent properly, efficiently and effectively. On this basis Audit Scotland is a public sector ‘regulator’ which includes responsibility for NHSScotland. As part of their role, Audit Scotland carry out or manage the annual audit reports for NHSScotland as well as national reports, impact reports and Section 22 reports where appropriate.

Through Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), NHSScotland already has a robust scrutiny and inspection process, which is driving improvements in patient care. HIS, in carrying out their inspections, are independent of the NHS boards they scrutinise. HIS are required by law to carry out their scrutiny and inspection activity in line with a plan agreed with Scottish Ministers. However in reporting their findings they do so impartially and independently.

There are no plans at present to introduce new regulatory mechanisms.