Seòmar agus comataidhean

The methodology used to identify the areas in receipt of the funding focussed on those areas with both the highest numbers of unemployed 16-24 year olds and the highest 16-24 year old unemployment rates.

West Dunbartonshire was not in the top 10 local authority areas on both measures, whereas the six areas allocated funding were.

The information requested is not centrally held. While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality health care in Scotland, it is for each NHS board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet the needs of the population. This includes how best to utilise funding and staff, taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs.

The planning of services is a matter for the individual NHS board. While the Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality health care in Scotland, it is for each NHS board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet the needs of the population. This includes how best to utilise funding and staff, taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs.

The following consortia and individual organisations are on the national framework contract of approved contractors. Some organisations are approved for only one type of work e.g. only quantitative surveys, whilst others are approved for more than one type of work.

OPM (with GFK NOP and Edinburgh University)

Ipsos-Mori

MRUK Research Ltd

Patient Dynamics Ltd

Patient Perspective

Picker Institute Europe

Quality Health Ltd

Queen Margaret University (with Dundee University).

Each of the NHS boards participating in the national Inpatient Survey commission a contractor from the national framework contract locally. This process is conducted in accordance with board procurement processes and protocols. Therefore, information on the approved contractor and how much is spent by each board is not held centrally.

NHS boards have discretion to reimburse reasonable travelling expenses incurred by patients who are referred to hospitals outwith their own area, because the treatment is not available within their area. Where medically beneficial, this may include reimbursement of an escort's reasonable travel expenses.

In cases where a patient is being transferred from one hospital to another as part of their treatment, the costs are met directly by the local health board.

With any new treatment, there is a need for caution until there is clear evidence, preferably from randomised control trials, to show that it is safe and effective. In the case of TAVI, the National Planning Forum set up a process to review the evidence, taking on board clinicians’ views, the available research and world wide experience. This research, combined with the evidence reviews from the Scottish Health Technologies Group, was debated and found to provide insufficient evidence to proceed to a TAVI service in NHSScotland, based on safety in numbers, and clinical and cost effectiveness.

Whilst the evidence for TAVI and the case for establishing a TAVI centre in Scotland have been under review, TAVI has been available to Scottish patients through consideration by an individual case panel. Patients who are considered suitable for TAVI are referred by their local health board to an appropriate provider.

In light of the growing body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of TAVI – most recently the updated guidance issued by NICE – it has now been decided that a TAVI service should be established in Scotland. Work is underway to progress this as quickly as possible.