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I consider the skills health visitors contribute to be an important part of meeting the needs of patients. I also know, from recent correspondence from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in relation to their review of health visiting services, that they also see health visitors as a core and integral part of the primary health care team.

The aim of the Board’s review was to make the best use of health visitor skills, continuing to provide universal services, but with a stronger focus on the most vulnerable families.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have advised the Scottish Governemnt of the outcomes of its review of health visiting service which was conducted as part of its wider policy of integrating services for children and young people in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde acknowledge and accept that some of the key messages that set out the context for the review and the drivers for change may not have been set out clearly enough to facilitate wider discussion and enable understanding and ownership of any changes.

I have sought assurances from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde about the importance of working in partnership with the local medical council and local GPs. I satisfied that the local groups established to take forward the health visitor review have been charged with ensuring that proposals for change take account of the concerns of local GPs and are reflective of extensive engagement with wider primary care team members. I am advised that this level of engagement will continue over the summer.

To fulfil their responsibilities for public involvement, NHS boards should routinely communicate with and involve the people and communities they serve in designing, developing and delivering the health care services they provide for them.

A copy of the revised draft guidance on Informing, Engaging and Consulting the Public in Developing Health and Community Care Services, was included as Annex 3 of our recent consultation on independent scrutiny and is available on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/26111633/7.

I would expect that any group of staff whose working conditions were to change would be consulted. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have said that any proposed changes to health visiting services must be strongly influenced by the input of local GPs, and those proposals will be subject to extensive local discussion, with the aim of reaching agreement with GPs, before implementation is considered.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15130 on 1 August 2008. 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/webapp/wa.search.

The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution made by the skills of health visitors in meeting the needs of patients.

It is for health boards to decide whether health visitors should be allocated to particular GP practices.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14575 on 22 July 2008. 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/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Creative Scotland will inherit the combined grant-in-aid of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen. Their combined grant-in-aid in the present financial year amounts to £50.32 million. In 2009-10 and 2010-11 I will also provide £2.5 million per annum as per my announcement on 18 June of a Creative Scotland Innovation Fund.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the establishment of Creative Scotland. In this context, I welcome the support of the Parliament for the principles of the Creative Scotland Bill. The government regrets, however, that the Parliament voted against the financial resolution relevant to the bill, causing the bill to fall. The government remains committed to introducing a bill to establish Creative Scotland, and will consult with the Parliament as appropriate as these plans develop.