Chamber and committees

Despite the significant budget reductions for Scotland arising from the 2010 UK Comprehensive Spending Review, the Scottish Government has fully delivered on its promise to pass on all of the resource Barnett consequentials to Health over the period 2011-12 to 2014-15; this positive action has protected the health resource budget in real terms.

The health resource budget is increasing significantly in cash terms by over half a billion pounds, or 5.2%, over the next two year period which means that spend on day to day health services has been protected in real terms.

Territorial health boards who provide frontline point of care services will receive above inflation increases in 2013-14 and 2014-15 of 3.3% and 3.1% which represents real terms increases of 0.8% and 0.6% respectively.

In addition, the short to medium term outlook will see capital resources under severe pressure given the significant real terms reduction in capital resources available to the Scottish Government over the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review period from 2011-12 to 2014-15. In response to this situation however, the Scottish Government has put in place arrangements to support a programme of £2.5 billion of revenue financed investment across Scotland to boost infrastructure investment. Of this total investment, £750 million is being directed towards projects within health as non profit distributing projects or via the hub initiative.

The paediatric diabetes team in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) provide an integrated service supported by a group of consultant paediatricians from both the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) in Paisley and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC), Yorkhill. The team is also supported by a cohort of specialist nurses, dieticians and clinical psychology. At both the RHSC and RAH there are strong links with complementary specialist services, including endocrinology.

Education is a key feature of the service with strong links in place to schools, nurseries and community child health services. Education sessions are also provided at the RHSC for patients and families.

The paediatric diabetes team has good links with the adult services and is currently developing transition plans for the move to the new South Glasgow Children’s Hospital. The new Children’s Hospital will be delivered to the same clinical high standard of the RHSC.

We want to ensure that all people with diabetes, irrespective of age get access to the best possible care - appropriately tailored to their individual needs.

Our Diabetes Action Plan 2010 notes that:

Over the lifetime of this Action Plan, diabetes care services should become more flexible and effective in their capacity to reach people in all care settings and to provide training and mentoring for non-specialist community care partners.

Diabetes Managed Clinical Networks are currently reviewing the diabetes education available to staff working in residential homes, we expect this work will help strengthen staff’s ability to deliver person-centred care.

From 1 October 2012, the Government implemented the ban on age discrimination enshrined in the Equality Act 2010, giving protection against age discrimination in services provided by the public, private and third sectors.

Guidance contained within the NHS Chief Executive Letter (CEL) 32 (2010) dated 19 August 2010: Arrangements for the Management of NHSScotland Capital Resources after 2010-11 sets out the recommendations developed by NHS Scotland via the Capital Strategy Group, agreed to by NHS board chief executives, on the future handling of capital resources across NHS Scotland. With particular regard to capital receipts, CEL 32 (2010) notifies boards that for those capital receipts not already identified as supporting projects with approved outline business cases the capital element of receipts will accrue to SGHSCD and be used to support the overall capital programme. Any element of an asset disposal that scores as revenue income (profit on disposal) will be left with the health board where the capital receipt arose.

Return of capital receipts for 2011-12 and to 30 September 2012 broken down by NHS board is as follows:

NHS Board	Total Capital Receipts 2011-12	2012-13 Capital Receipts to 30 September 2012
	£000	£000
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	50	435
NHS Borders	229	468
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	50	0
NHS Fife	18	0
NHS Forth Valley	1,548	150
NHS Grampian	432	183
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde	2,267	258
NHS Highland	299	112
NHS Lanarkshire	10	0
NHS Lothian	2,605	0
NHS Orkney	188	5
NHS Shetland	23	0
NHS Tayside	201	0
NHS Western Isles	199	0
Territorial Boards	8,119	1,611
NHS National Services Scotland	24	0
Scottish Ambulance Service	861	0
NHS Education for Scotland	35	0
NHS 24	0	0
NHS National Waiting Times Centre Board	0	0
The State Hospital	141	0
NHS Health Scotland	0	0
Healthcare Improvement Scotland	0	0
Special Boards	1,061	0
NHS Scotland	9,180	1,611

Source – 2011-12 Annual Accounts & Board Financial Returns to SGHSCD for the period to 30 September 2012.

The profit on disposal retained by boards for 2011-12 is provided in the following table. The only board to return this funding directly to SGHSCD during 2011-12 was NHS Orkney, a total of £0.151million as part of a agreed brokerage repayment arrangement.

Profit on disposal is not monitored by SGHSCD during the year, this is managed locally by boards as part of managing their overall financial position; therefore information is not available to 30 September 2012. The full year position for 2012-13 will be available from the audited annual accounts.

NHS Board	2011-12 Profit on Disposal Retained By Board
	£000
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	3
NHS Borders	14
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	0
NHS Fife	0
NHS Forth Valley	0
NHS Grampian	0
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde	35
NHS Highland	426
NHS Lanarkshire	0
NHS Lothian	1,677
NHS Orkney	0
NHS Shetland	28
NHS Tayside	186
NHS Western Isles	25
Territorial Boards	2,394
NHS National Services Scotland	1
Scottish Ambulance Service	211
NHS Education for Scotland	0
NHS 24	0
NHS National Waiting Times Centre Board	0
The State Hospital	0
NHS Health Scotland	0
Healthcare Improvement Scotland	0
Special Boards	212
NHS Scotland	2,606

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-11157 on 22 November 2012. 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.

The phasing out of prescription charges benefits all individuals in Scotland, but in particular those who are the most vulnerable. Those with low incomes and those with long-term conditions will clearly benefit most each and every time they have their prescribed medicines dispensed. Enabling access to necessary prescribed medicines is an essential component in ensuring patients’ compliance with the management of their health without reference to their income. Patients no longer face making choices between which medicines to take based on affordability.

The Scottish Government is clear that the extension of free prescriptions to all removed the inequalities embedded in the previous charges regime caused by the existence of an income threshold and approved list of conditions.

NHS boards manage their surplus assets, within the terms of the NHS Scotland property transactions handbook.

The Scottish Government circulated the Health Care Needs Assessment to NHS boards to afford them the opportunity to consider and comment on its content and recommendations. Once views have been gathered we consider any actions that may be required to support boards to take forward the recommendations.

<>I refer the member to the question S4W-10481 answered on 6 November 2012. 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.

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines are recommended to NHS Scotland and should be taken into account when services are being developed. Implementation of SIGN guidelines is the responsibility of NHS boards and their operating divisions which are reinforced and supported by their clinical governance arrangements.