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Details of the National Scheduled Care Programme titled "Getting Ahead – sustainable whole system management for elective services" was issued on 25 January 2016 under a Health Directorate Director letter. This can be accessed at the following link: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/dl/DL(2016)02.pdf.

The National Scheduled Care Programme known as “Getting Ahead – sustainable whole systems management for elective services” has been discussed in detail with the NHS Scotland Chief Operating Officers Group and other informal discussions with a number of NHS boards as well as the British Medical Association.

The Health Directorate Access Support Team will be meeting with all boards to support them in taking forward this work over the next few months.

This is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who are responsible for the planning and provision of local services.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30038 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.

The integration joint board Section 95 officer is responsible for the proper administration of its financial affairs. In terms of the living wage commitment, the Section 95 officer must prepare a budget for approval by the integration joint board that includes an allocation to its local authority partner for social care services that is sufficient to meet the cost of the living wage commitments. More generally, the Section 95 officer must provide assurance to the integration joint board that the commitments in relation to social care spending set out in the letter from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy of 27 January have been met.

The sanctions set out in the letter from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy of 29 January 2016 apply to local authorities.

The £250 million investment will help to alleviate the issue of a two-tiered workforce. Currently care workers employed by local authorities are already paid the living wage. This additional investment will help enable councils to support the joint aspiration for care workers, including in the independent and third sectors, to be paid £8.25 an hour.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30141 on 26 February 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Partnership working between the Scottish Government, local government and our stakeholders, including the third and independent sectors, is key to ensuring we achieve the intended outcomes of this additional investment.

This has been the approach we have followed during the past year in which, following extensive dialogue with local authorities and providers, we made available £12.5 million in 2015-16, as part of a tripartite agreement worth £25 million to improve the quality of care by jointly investing to encourage fair work practices for care workers, including progress to the living wage.

The significant increase in resources being made available through the budget will build on this success.

We have not stipulated a specific contribution expected from providers in regards to the 2016-17 local government settlement. We would expect a more finely grained analysis of the situation regarding wages and fair work within contracted out care services at integration authority level and as part of the negotiations on the National Care Home Contract – that is why the target date has been extended to 1 October 2016 rather than implementation by 1 April 2016.

The allocation of this significant enhancement in resources will help enable councils to allow adult social care workers, including in the independent and third sector, to be paid the living wage of £8.25 an hour. This assumes that private and third sector providers will meet their share of the costs.

It is accepted that councils have no such direct leverage in respect of care providers offering services exclusively to self-funding clients. However, progress in achieving the living wage through care commissioned by local authorities will be an important influence on the wider care market.

In correspondence to chief executives of local authorities, regarding the local government settlement, I said that this investment assumes that private and third sector providers will meet their share of the costs. I did not stipulate a specific contribution expected from providers. We would expect a more finely grained analysis of the situation regarding wages and fair work within contracted out care services at integration authority level and that is why the target date has been extended to 1 October 2016 rather than implementation by 1 April 2016.