Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government invited all Scottish health boards to submit proposals for activity relating to dignity at work and cultural issues.

We are currently in the process of assessing bids and funding will be allocated shortly.

The NHSScotland staff surveys in 2006, 2008 and 2010 sought staff’s opinions on bullying and harassment in NHSScotland. The 2013 survey, which is currently underway and will run until 5 July 2013, will also address this issue.

The Scottish Government is clear that bullying and harassment is unacceptable. We are continually reviewing our strategies to help boards to deal with it. Since 2007 much has been done across NHSScotland to tackle bullying and harassment in the workplace and to promote expected standards of behaviours. This includes:

Development of the Dignity at work Toolkit;

Review of the Preventing and Dealing with Bullying and Harassment in NHSScotland Partnership Information Network (PIN) policy;

A Dignity at Work Day of Commitment and re-launch of the Dignity at Work Toolkit and guidance, and up to £200,000 available to health boards to further expand the Dignity at Work Toolkit and regular national staff surveys.

The latest NHSScotland staff survey launched on 27 May 2013 and will run until 5 July 2013. This survey aims to gather comprehensive views from staff about working for NHSScotland, including views on bullying and harassment.

The results of this survey will be available later this year.

The regulation of pricing of medicines is listed as a reserved matter under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. The proposals for Value Based Pricing of medicines licensed from 1 January 2014 are being taken forward in negotiations between the UK Government’s Department of Health and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

Once the conclusions of the negotiations are available to the Scottish Government we will be able to examine their impact on Scotland.

Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with the Department of Health concerning value based pricing.

The performance of the national TAVI service is being closely monitored over the first 12 months, and consideration will be given to whether there is a need to introduce a regional model of service, or extend the service to two sites, if appropriate.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15277 on 13 June 2013. 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.

Staff should see the cost of living rise in their June 2013 pay, and the intention is to pay arrears in the following month’s salaries. The NHS pay cycle begins on 1 April each year but it is not unusual for circulars to be issued later than this date for one reason or another. The Agenda for Change pay circular has been issued in May for the last two years. And in 2006, 2007 and 2008, it went out in June.

This year, the NHS review bodies recommended a 1% pay raise for all staff within their remits. However, in Scotland (unlike in England) we decided to go further in protecting the lower paid and to make a non-consolidated payment to staff earning under £21,000 to raise their overall salary in 2013-14 by a total of £250. Discussions around the logistics of how to make this additional payment delayed the publication of the Agenda for Change pay circular.

I am due to meet with Earl Howe on 3 July 2013.