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The Safe and Sustainable Programme’s review of paediatric cardiac surgery services in England was subject to full public consultation which took place earlier this year. Interested groups, organisations and individuals from across the UK had the opportunity to submit their views during that period.

The Scottish Ambulance Service has advised that the overtime budget since 2007-08 has been:

It is important to note that these figures cannot be compared on a like for like basis. Prior to 2008-09, the budget associated with covering vacancies was included in the basic pay budget. However, as vacancies are covered on overtime, since 2008-09 this provision has been included in the overtime budget. Also in 2009-10, the overtime budget was increased to backfill for 40 additional staff to be trained in specialist operational response procedures.

The budget for 2011-12 is currently £4,363,000 but this figure is subject to revision over the course of the year. The Scottish Ambulance Service are continuing to make every effort to reduce overtime across the service.

Since 1999, 24 children have accessed the paediatric congenital heart service at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. The breakdown per year is as under.

With the exception of paediatric cardiac transplantation, a full range of paediatric cardiac surgery services is provided in Scotland by Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow.

In addition, where it is necessary due to rarity and/or complexity, a very few children may require to be referred to relevant centre(s) in England. In such exceptional cases care is jointly shared between the relevant service and Yorkhill.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02389 on 27 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.