- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS boards have a policy on disability leave.
Answer
All NHS boards are expected to comply with the statutory requirements in respect of disabled people.
NHS24 is the only NHS board which has a specific policy in respect of leave for disabled employees. NHS24 are piloting this policy and will provide feedback on the effectiveness of this policy to the rest of NHSScotland in due course.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS boards have been asked, or are preparing, workforce planning projections for 2011-12 and, if so, when these will be made publicly available.
Answer
NHS boards are currently working on their workforce planning projections for 2010-11 and will consider projections for 2011-12 in due course.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many posts will be removed from each NHS board as set out in the workforce planning projections for 2011-12, broken down by (a) medical consultants, (b) medical others, (c) dental, (d) nursing and midwifery, (e) allied health professions, (f) other therapeutic staff, (g) healthcare science staff, (h) administrative and clerical staff, (i) facilities staff and (j) management.
Answer
We are not aware of any workforce planning projections by NHS boards for 2011-12.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many posts will be removed from each NHS board as set out in the workforce planning projections for 2010-11, broken down by (a) medical consultants, (b) medical others, (c) dental, (d) nursing and midwifery, (e) allied health professions, (f) other therapeutic staff, (g) healthcare science staff, (h) administrative and clerical staff, (i) facilities staff and (j) management.
Answer
As workforce projections are work in progress, informed by ongoing discussions about efficiency and service delivery improvements, there are no definitive figures available yet. NHS boards are in the process of developing their future workforce profiles in discussion with staff side representatives and have made clear there will be no compulsory redundancies.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 1 June 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how NHS boards ensure that disabled employees are treated fairly regarding absences that they may be forced to take as a result of their disability.
Answer
All NHS boards are expected to comply with the statutory requirements in respect of disabled people.
In addition, NHS boards have the autonomy to adopt policies which are appropriate to local need. NHSScotland has a range of progressive policies in place to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of its workforce and NHS boards are actively working in partnership with their staff to achieve sustained improvements in attendance rates. It is open to boards to use their special leave policies to support disabled employees who are absent due to their disability.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 26 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that inequality is not reinforced by short-term budgeting in the NHS.
Answer
NHS financial plans are on a three to five year planning cycle to ensure long-term budgeting. NHS boards have a duty as set out in HDL (2005) 9 to undertake equality impact assessments for changes in policy and service developments.
This year the Scottish Government instigated a change to the Local Delivery Plan process to identify issues affecting equality. A section on equalities for each target is completed by all boards which includes efficiency savings. Boards outline any risks that the delivery of efficiencies could create towards unequal health outcomes for the six equalities groups, and/or for people living in socio-economic disadvantage, and how these risks are being managed.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 26 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether equality impact assessments have been undertaken by NHS boards in relation to efficiency savings.
Answer
Each NHS board has a duty as set out in HDL (2005) 9 to undertake equality impact assessments for changes in policy and service developments, which would include significant changes to meet efficiency savings. Boards are in the process of completing impact assessments and undertaking stakeholder engagement on areas of significant change and these assessments will be published and the agreed actions implemented and their delivery monitored.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 26 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it provides to NHS boards on considering the needs of equality groups when making decisions about reductions in services.
Answer
Guidance outlining the requirements to equality impact assess all new or revised policies and strategies, including changes to existing services, was issued to NHS boards in March 2005. The guidance is available at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/02/20687/52421. The Equality, People and Performance Directorate at NHS Health Scotland provides support to boards in relation to this work.
Our recently updated Informing, Engaging and Consulting (IEC) guidance also places a duty on NHS boards to ensure that any proposed change of service is subject to an equality and diversity impact assessment (EQIA) and that the IEC process is fully accessible to all equality groups. The guidance is available at:
http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/publications/publication.asp?name=&org=%25&keyword=engaging&category=-1&number=10&sort=tDate&order=DESC&Submit=Go.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 26 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the budgetary decisions of NHS boards for 2010-11 will have an impact on disabled people.
Answer
Equity and Efficiency are dimensions of healthcare quality. Each NHS board has a duty as set out in HDL (2005) 9 to undertake equality impact assessments for changes in policy and service developments, which include significant policy or service changes to deliver more efficient healthcare. Any changes that affect disabled people will be highlighted within this process, actions implemented and local service quality monitored.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 26 May 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to enact the provisions in the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 that will allow parents to make placing requests for provision in other local authority areas.
Answer
The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 is scheduled to commence on 14 November 2010 and will allow parents of children with additional support needs and young persons with additional support needs, including those with co-ordinated support plans, to make placing requests for provision in other local authority areas.
It is for individual local authorities to interpret the legislation and discharge their duties in line with it.
The following is the original answer (published on 26 May 2010); see below.
The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 is scheduled to commence on 16 August 2010 and will allow parents of children with additional support needs and young persons with additional support needs, including those with co-ordinated support plans, to make placing requests for provision in other local authority areas.
It is for individual local authorities to interpret the legislation and discharge their duties in line with it.
