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As has been the case in previous years, all NHS boards will require to achieve efficiency savings in 2016-17. The preparation for this is at the early stages of development, with formal submissions expected as part of the local delivery planning process in advance of 1 April 2016. All NHS boards are expected to ensure that resources are spent in a way that improves the health and wellbeing of the community and delivers best value for taxpayers. It is important to note that efficiency savings are a key component of financial plans, contributing to the overall performance of NHS boards. Boards consider a range of efficiency measures with a view to identifying those that will impact positively on patient care by reducing unwarranted variation in service provision, removing waste and eliminating harm. Efficiency savings are retained locally by territorial boards for reinvestment in frontline services. The combination of increases in funding and local retention of savings, ensure priorities are safeguarded.

Last year (2014-15) NHS boards delivered over £285 million of efficiency savings, equivalent to 3.1% of baseline funding. For 2015-16, NHS boards are forecasting that over £293 million of efficiency savings will be delivered, equivalent to 3.0% of baseline funding.

The quoted statement was made in a meeting with the Scottish Partnership Forum to get their views and input to developing the National Clinical Strategy. As indicated in the paragraph from which this sentence has been lifted, the discussion highlighted evidence that for some types of treatment, better clinical outcomes can be obtained from specialist teams co-located with other necessary services and specialists.

The National Clinical Strategy sets out the supporting evidence for complex specialist services planning and delivery on a population basis. This would mean that, for some services, specialist units might be located within one hospital in a region, but importantly all hospitals would work as a network across the whole region or indeed the whole of Scotland, dependent on the complexity of specialist services to be provided. An example is the introduction of robot assisted surgery for prostate cancer.

This will ensure we continue to deliver world-class services for the people of Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30051 on 4 March 2016. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30051 on 4 March 2016. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

As made clear by the statement of the Chair of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on 15 January 2016 (available at: www.nhsggc.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/news/2016/01/chairmans-statement/), there are no such formal proposals.

Details of hospital catchment areas are not held centrally. Specific information may be available from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who are responsible for the planning and provision of local services.

No: as set out in the relevant national guidance (available at: www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2010_01.pdf), only proposed major service change in the NHS is subject to ministerial approval.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, who hold the responsibility for the planning and provision of local services, made the Scottish Government aware of its plans to re-provide the activity from ward six at the Vale of Leven Hospital in late November 2015, following the approval of these plans by the board's Acute Services Committee.

The redesign plans, made to ensure that services are as efficient as possible and due to be implemented in April 2016, will allow the majority of patients currently treated on ward six to be treated in the hospital’s surgical day bed unit, with extended operating hours. The remaining patients (those who require an inpatient stay) will be accommodated in the Lomond Ward at the Vale. As such, the plans will have no effect on the level of surgical service and after care received by local people at the hospital.

The number of school leavers not in education (higher education or further education), employment or training are shown in the following table:

1. Includes school leavers on activity agreements or in voluntary work. These are considered positive destinations in the Summary Statistics for Attainment, Leaver Destinations and Healthy Living publication. The figures presented also include school leavers where their destination was recorded as ‘unknown’.

2. The methodology and data available for 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 changed meaning caution should be exercised when making comparisons over time.

Source: The data included in the table comes from Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) follow up of school leaver destinations. Information on the destination of leavers from publicly funded schools was provided to the Scottish Government by SDS. SDS collected information on the destination of each young person they had identified as being a school leaver during September 2014 (initial destination) and March 2015 (follow-up destination). The follow up destinations data provided in this table presents information on the outcomes of young people approximately nine months after leaving school.

While these figures outline the number of school leavers who are not in education, employment or training, the main headline measure used by the Scottish Government is the percentage of school leavers in a positive follow up destination. This considers voluntary work and activity agreements to be positive destinations, alongside higher education, further education, employment and training. The figure for 2013-14 school leavers not in a positive destination on this basis is 4,142 (including unknowns).

The percentage of school leavers in positive destinations at the time of the follow-up was 84.0% in 2007-08 and 91.7% for 2013-14 school leavers.

Section 52 of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 provides ministers with powers to direct integration authorities, including integration joint boards, in relation to their carrying out of functions conferred on them by the Act.