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The following table sets out the number of Radiographers that are undertaking plain film reporting, broken down by NHS boards:

The following table sets out the number of Radiographers qualified to undertake plain film reporting, broken down by NHS boards:

There are three paediatric cardiac surgeons based at Yorkhill Hopsital.

The number of operations carried out in each year since 2007-08 are as under.

The Distinction Award Scheme is specifically for eligible NHS Scotland Consultants. The information requested for 2009 and 2010 is contained within the Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards (SACDA) Annual Reports. These can be found on the SACDA website:

http://www.shsc.scot.nhs.uk/upload/file/national_committee_services/sacda/annual_report/2011_sacda_annual_report_2010_awards_round.pdf.

The 2011 Annual Report will be published shortly. For ease, the information for each of the three years requested, is as follows:

Notes:

* New Awards were frozen and only re-cycled awards were available for distribution

** The scheme was fully frozen.

The quality of service and outcomes achieved by the paediatric cardiac surgery service in Glasgow are carefully monitored and benchmarked against other UK centres and are already well recognised as being good.

While it is desirable to demonstrate this in the context of the Safe and Sustainable Programme standards for designating cardiac centres in England and Wales (by the planned external review by Sir Ian Kennedy), it is with the understanding that standards relating to numbers of staff and activity levels should be interpreted within the context of the differing population and geography and the criticality of retaining a paediatric cardiac surgical and interventional cardiology service in Scotland.

As part of the Safe and Sustainable Programme in England, service standards for Children's Congenital Cardiac Services have been developed. The standards against which English paediatric cardiac centres have been assessed require a minimum of 400 operations per year and 4 paediatric cardiac surgeons. The Scottish Paediatric Cardiac Surgery Unit in Glasgow carries out around 300 operations per year and has a team of three cardiac surgeons.

The Scottish Government is committed to maintaining a high quality, sustainable paediatric cardiac surgery service in Scotland. However, to provide external and independent assurance of the recognised high quality of the paediatric cardiac surgery services provided by Yorkhill Hospital, it was announced in June this year that a review of the service would be undertaken by the Safe and Sustainable Programme team, but with the understanding that standards relating to numbers of staff and activity levels should be interpreted within the context of the differing population and geography and the criticality of retaining a paediatric cardiac surgical and interventional cardiology service in Scotland.

The review, led by Sir Ian Kennedy, took place on 3 November 2011.

Matters relating to the funding of individual colleges fall within the responsibility of the Scottish Funding Council I have asked its Chief Executive to write to the member.

Radiography reporting of plain films or other modalities has been supported by the Scottish Government over the last 10 years and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the Diagnostic Collaborative continue to support this in practice.

Most recently, a Radiology Subgroup has been set up with a remit to explore opportunities for making efficiencies in radiology across the West of Scotland (WoS), as part of the remote working work stream in the WoS efficiency and productivity work. The group have looked at alternative options for service delivery including skill mix development, which supports task shifting from Radiologists to appropriately trained radiographers and the possibility of a regional radiology reporting service.

The Chief Health Professions Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, have convened a Specialist Advisory Board, including the Royal College of Radiologists and the Society of Radiographers, to explore joint working and sustainable delivery of radiology and imaging services.

To provide external and independent assurance of the recognised high quality of the paediatric cardiac surgery services provided by Yorkhill Hospital, I announced in June 2011 that a review of the service would be undertaken by the Safe and Sustainable Programme team who have assessed these services across England.

The review, led by Sir Ian Kennedy, took place on 3 November 2011.

Matters relating to the funding of individual colleges fall within the responsibility of the Scottish Funding Council. I have asked its Chief Executive to write to the member.