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I understand that the Care Inspectorate has advised Castlebeck Care (Teasdale) Limited that it will be seeking the deregistration of Ranaich House as there are continuing concerns about the quality of care provided by this particular service.

The Care Inspectorate is undertaking frequent monitoring visits and liaising with local authorities for alternative placements for the residents.

Registration of the social services workforce has been taken forward in a phased and clearly timetabled way to allow employers to strategically plan their workforce development to meet registration requirements. Phasing provides an affordable approach for employers, government and the regulatory body.

The SSSC Register opened for residential childcare workers in July 2006 and to enable employers to phase workforce training and development the phased date for required registration of these workers was set at September 2009. Residential childcare workers were amongst the first set of social care workers to be eligible to register and so were also amongst the first to become subject to required registration.

Ultimately employers are responsible for the training and continuous learning of their employees. Employers must ensure that all staff not only have the appropriate skills and knowledge to carry out their role, but also ensure that these skills and knowledge are continuously updated. The National Care Standards clearly state that services must have a staff development strategy and effective training plans in place for all staff. Bodies such as Skills for Care and Development, the sector skills council for the social services sector; the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC); the Care Inspectorate (SCSWIS), and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) among others, support employers in training their workforce.

However, in line with the ambitions of Changing Lives, the Scottish Government has been driving forward a range of activities, particularly through the work of the Scottish Social Services Council, to ensure that Scotland has in place a competent, confident and valued social services workforce. The SSSC has only been in existence for 10 years but has already made significant progress from a baseline where around 80% of the care workforce did not have a relevant qualification. We will continue to focus on improvements. Scottish ministers, through the SSSC, regularly review the qualifications set for registration for each group of social service workers and can increase the rate of change and increase the levels and types of qualifications required. For example, the qualification requirements for managers of day care of children services have recently been raised and these managers are now required to gain the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework Level 9 qualification in Childhood Practice.

As part of the drive to raise standards in the social service workforce, all workers registered with the SSSC must undertake post registration training and learning (PRTL) to ensure they continue to develop and progress their skills throughout out their career in social care.

Registrants are personally responsible for ensuring that they meet PRTL requirements. Employers of registrants are expected under the SSSC’s Code of Practice for Employers to assist registered workers to continue their professional development.

Guidance and tools are available to all employers in the social services sector which support the identification, level and quality of training required for their employees. This includes the SSSC Code of Practice, National Occupational Standards, Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework and the Continuous Learning Framework.

Lung cancer survival by age groups is available at Scotland level on ISD's website at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Cancer/Cancer-Statistics/Lung-Cancer-and-Mesothelioma/.

Comparative survival for lung cancer is shown in the following table. It is important to note that survival depends on many factors, including data quality, characteristics of the patients and their tumours (case-mix), and health service factors. Survival estimates are also subject to random variation, especially when based on relatively small numbers of patients.

Lung cancer survival at one year and three years after diagnosis for Scotland, (i) NHS board and (ii) Regional Cancer Network by age group are in the following table.

Cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung (ICD-10 C33-C34)

Relative survival¹ (%) at one and three years following diagnosis for those diagnosed aged 15 to 99 in 2002-06

Source: UK Cancer Information System; September 2011.

Notes:

“*” = not available due to small numbers involved.

1. The relative survival estimates shown above are adjusted for background mortality in Scotland as a whole but not for differences in overall life expectancy in the NHS boards in Scotland (because life tables for NHS boards are not readily available). The survival estimates are not standardised for age or sex.

2. Key to NHS Cancer Networks:

(a) North of Scotland - is defined as a grouping of the following NHS boards: Grampian; Highland and Argyll; Orkney; Shetland; Tayside; Western Isles.

(b) South East of Scotland - is defined as a grouping of the following NHS boards: Borders; Dumfries and Galloway; Fife; Lothian.

(c) West of Scotland - is defined as a grouping of the following NHS boards: Ayrshire and Arran; Forth Valley; Greater Glasgow and Clyde; Lanarkshire.

3. Separate data are not shown for the Island NHS boards of Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles due to small populations.

4. Note that confidence intervals have been omitted for clarity of reading.

Comparative survival for lung cancer is shown in the following table. It is important to note that survival depends on many factors, including data quality, characteristics of the patients and their tumours (case-mix), and health service factors. Survival estimates are also subject to random variation, especially when based on relatively small numbers of patients.

Lung cancer survival at one year and three years after diagnosis for Scotland, (i) NHS board and (ii) Regional Cancer Network by sex are in the following table.

Cancer of the Trachea, Bronchus and Lung (ICD-10 C33-C34)

Relative Survival¹ (%) at one and three years following Diagnosis for those Diagnosed aged 15 to 99 in 2002-06

Notes:

Source: UK Cancer Information System; September 2011

1. The relative survival estimates shown above are adjusted for background mortality in Scotland as a whole but not for differences in overall life expectancy in the NHS boards in Scotland (because life tables for NHS boards are not readily available). The survival estimates are not standardised for age or sex.

2. Key to NHS Cancer Networks:

(a) North of Scotland - is defined as a grouping of the following NHS boards:

Grampian; Highland and Argyll; Orkney; Shetland; Tayside; Western Isles.

(b) South East of Scotland - is defined as a grouping of the following NHS boards: Borders; Dumfries and Galloway; Fife; Lothian. (c) West of Scotland - is defined as a grouping of the following NHS Boards: Ayrshire and Arran; Forth Valley; Greater Glasgow and Clyde; Lanarkshire.

3. Separate data are not shown for the Island NHS boards of Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles due to small populations.

4. Note that confidence intervals have been omitted for clarity of reading.

On 6 April a multi-agency meeting, including representatives from the City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian and the Care Inspectorate was held to discuss care arrangements within Elsie Inglis. Following that meeting it was agreed that the City of Edinburgh Council staff together with support from NHS Lothian staff would undertake a systematic review of all residents within the care home.

Between periods 6 April until the end of May, the City of Edinburgh Council social work staff together with nursing staff from NHS Lothian were regularly in attendance at the home to ensure that the residents' needs were being met and to make recommendations as appropriate. During this period regular multi-agency meetings were held as well as meetings with the owners of the care home.

On the 11 of May the City of Edinburgh Council approached the care home owners and informed them that it was felt necessary for the Council to have permanent presence within the home to observe practice and advise. The Council had no legal powers to undertake such an action, however consent was granted by the owners of the home.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02478 on 23 September 2011. 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/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

The Scottish Government has made a commitment to introduce a minimum wage for all public sector bodies under our direct control.

We have made sure that from 1 April 2011, all NHS staff in Scotland earn above £7.15 per hour. All teachers, police officers and Fire Service personnel already earn above this level.

The Scottish Government’s Public sector pay policy, which applies to all pay settlement dates up to 31 March 2012, requires employers to introduce a Scottish Living Wage of £7.15 an hour and all public sector bodies will have met that requirement following implementation of their 2011-12 pay settlement. The policy covers the Scottish Government, its agencies, and the non-departmental public bodies for which we are responsible. It also covers the subsidiaries of these bodies. There may be a small number of staff in public bodies subject to minister’s pay policy still to benefit from the Scottish Living Wage, but this is due to the fact that these bodies are still to conclude pay negotiations with members of staff and their unions this year and Scottish ministers cannot intervene while these negotiations continue.

The Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy does not extend to local authorities. Local authorities are self-governing bodies and set the terms and conditions under which local government staff are employed. The Scottish Government does not hold information on individual local authority’s rates of pay. However, I welcome the fact that a number of local authorities have already introduced a living wage.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-02397 on 22 September 2011. 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.