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Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with the Department of Health concerning value based pricing.

The performance of the national TAVI service is being closely monitored over the first 12 months, and consideration will be given to whether there is a need to introduce a regional model of service, or extend the service to two sites, if appropriate.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15277 on 13 June 2013. 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.

Staff should see the cost of living rise in their June 2013 pay, and the intention is to pay arrears in the following month’s salaries. The NHS pay cycle begins on 1 April each year but it is not unusual for circulars to be issued later than this date for one reason or another. The Agenda for Change pay circular has been issued in May for the last two years. And in 2006, 2007 and 2008, it went out in June.

This year, the NHS review bodies recommended a 1% pay raise for all staff within their remits. However, in Scotland (unlike in England) we decided to go further in protecting the lower paid and to make a non-consolidated payment to staff earning under £21,000 to raise their overall salary in 2013-14 by a total of £250. Discussions around the logistics of how to make this additional payment delayed the publication of the Agenda for Change pay circular.

I am due to meet with Earl Howe on 3 July 2013.

The regulation of pricing of medicines is listed as a reserved matter under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. The proposals for Value Based Pricing of medicines licensed from 1 January 2014 are being taken forward in negotiations between the UK Government’s Department of Health and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

The Scottish Government is currently seeking clarity on the evidence provided to the Health and Sport Committee on 14 May 2013 by the UK Government which suggested for the first time that aspects of value based pricing may be considered by the UK Government to be devolved.

A total of 39 patients have had transcatheter aortic valve implantation at the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, since the national service started in September 2012.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15304 on 12 June 2013. 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.

On 8 May 2013 we announced the development of a new bed capacity and performance planning tool to support NHS boards. The tool is being developed to ensure that hospitals and communities have the right beds in place to treat patients as Scotland’s health service face the challenge of an ageing population.

The Bed Planning Tool is in the initial stages of development. It will be developed in consultation with clinical professionals from across NHSScotland to instil and ensure a consistent approach. This new tool will be used alongside the established workforce planning tools which have been made mandatory that all NHS boards use.