Chamber and committees

Information on how many pain consultants there are in multidisciplinary chronic pain teams in each NHS board area for (a) adult and (b) children services, is not held centrally. However, I would like to refer the member to the Benchmarking Report published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland on 26 October 2012:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/long_term_conditions/chronic_pain/chronic_pain_update_report.aspx.

The audit has identified the current resources available in relation to NHS Board populations and provides up to date information on the provision of pain management services in each NHS Board area. This information will assist NHS boards to identify any gaps and variation in local services and provides recommendations to inform planning and assist in the implementation of the Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain.

There are no plans to introduce a HEAT target in relation to chronic pain services this year. The Scottish Government reviews HEAT targets on an annual basis with decisions on new targets based on evidence and impact.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) are currently developing a guideline for the management of chronic pain, with a public consultation event scheduled in December 2012. Following publication of the SIGN guideline consideration can be given as to whether HEAT can support improvement / delivery.

The Care Inspectorate can cancel registration of a care service in a number of scenarios. It has the power to withdraw registration from care homes where it has served an Improvement Notice and this has not been complied with within the period specified in the Notice. It can also cancel registration of a service where the person providing the registered care service ceases to provide the service. Since1 April 2011, 1 registration of a care service was cancelled during the period 2011-12.

I am advised that, as at 7 November, four patients have been treated by the national transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) service in Edinburgh. Patients have been referred by three NHS boards.

The national TAVI service expects to carry out around 50 TAVI procedures each year, and will continue to consider referrals from across Scotland.

Lothian and Borders Police have confirmed that they are in the final stages of completing their report for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in relation to the Elsie Inglis Care Home Inquiry. It is anticipated that this will be complete within the next fortnight.

The Care Inspectorate has confirmed that in 2011-12, 1 quality of care related improvement notice was not complied with. As a result, registration of the care service was cancelled.

The 2010 NHSScotland Staff Survey results reveal that, of the 273 NHS Health Scotland members of staff who responded to the survey (91% response rate), 19% reported experiencing bullying and harassment in the workplace during the previous 12 months. Of that figure, 58% indicated that they had experienced bullying and harassment from a manager or team leader and 64% indicated that that they had experienced bullying and harassment from colleagues. The staff survey respondents indicate that 40% of these incidences were reported.

The bullying and harassment of any member of staff is unacceptable. The Scottish Government is encouraging a performance culture in which NHS employees in Scotland are clear about the need to deliver results and where managers are clear about the boundaries between effective management and inappropriate behaviour.

We have provided advice and guidance to NHS boards on dealing effectively with bullying and harassment in the NHS in the form of the Preventing & Dealing with Bullying and Harassment in NHSScotland PIN Policy, which was published in November 2011.

I have been assured by NHS Health Scotland the bullying and harassment issues highlighted in the 2010 staff survey are being addressed. The focus of their activity has been to ensure that the policy of zero tolerance is explicit within the culture of NHS Health Scotland and they will be conducting a staff survey in December 2012 to measure improvement.

The Care Inspectorate carried out 7,489 inspections in 2011-12 and 3,451 between 1 April and 30 September 2012, across the range of services for which it has responsibility.

Earlier this year, NHS Health Scotland merged five posts into two resulting in annual savings of £126,311.

The Head of People and Performance is a new post. It has a far wider ranging remit than the previous post of Head of HR, and now encompasses HR responsibility, organisational staff development, and organisational planning and performance.

The starting salary for Head of People and Performance is £54,454. The former position of Head of HR had a starting salary of £45,254.

The Care Inspectorate has responsibility for inspecting, regulating and supporting improvement of care and social work and child protection services across Scotland.

The Care Inspectorate has powers under section 62 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 to serve an improvement notice on a care service, specifying the improvements required to bring a care service up to the standards required and the timescale for meeting these standards.

The total number of improvement notices issued by the Care Inspectorate in the period (a) between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012 was 74 and (b) between 1 April and 30 September 2012 was 31.